By Keiran Gorsky
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) women’s soccer team didn’t go down without a fight, even as they were knocked out of the playoffs on Oct. 26 in a 2-0 defeat to the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues at Varsity Stadium.
A rain-soaked pitch combined with a robust TMU pressing game made for a tightly contested match.
“We had nothing to lose,” said Bold head coach John Yacou. “They beat us twice before and they beat us bad. We had to come out fighting for every ball, and we did for the majority of the game.”
Although the Varsity Blues had bested the Bold twice during the regular season by a combined score of 9-2, the first ten minutes were remarkably close. U of T seemed taken aback by an aggressive TMU defense ready to fight for every inch of field. It was clear at this point that the home team was not about to walk away with the win easily.
In the 13th minute, a wildly bouncing ball ricocheted off a cluster of defenders before winding up at the feet of U of T defender Cassie Chan, who slid the ball past an unsuspecting Abby Harrison. The turn of events hardly matched the competitiveness of the match up to that point.
The game continued on with sparse scoring chances for either team, but the win was very much there for both sides. A counter-attack sprung Bold striker Ivymae Perez on a rare opportunity to equalize with her final touch rolling just inches wide of the far post. At the other end, Harrison made a diving save off a powerful Valentina Greco strike from 20 yards.
U of T began to assert themselves in the second half, as they sought to outpace a relentless TMU press. Blues winger Karly Hellstrom pounded a shot off the bar on a dangerous fast break in the 56th minute. Ten minutes later, a precise cross from the left flank fell perfectly into the path of Rena Nakajima, who gave her team a 2-0 lead.
The match petered out from there, with the Bold unable to carve out counter attacking opportunities against a tightening Varsity Blues defense. TMU captain Samantha Naus was sent off near the end with two bookings.
Although a disappointing end to their season, the team remains confident leading up to next year.
“Although we didn’t have a winning season, the goal was always to get into the playoffs,” said Yacou. “We had rookies coming in and making an impact and we look forward to those [rookies] improving in the upcoming year.”
UP NEXT: The Bold head into the winter with their heads held high after another season comes to a close. They’ll take the pitch again next fall.
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