By Jack MacCool
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s soccer team played its final home match of the regular season on Oct. 6 when they hosted the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues at Downsview Park.
The Bold suffered a 4-0 loss in the contest and will face the Varsity Blues for a second time this Saturday, Oct. 8.
The opening minutes of the match belonged to U of T as they controlled the ball in the Bold’s side of half. Bold goalkeeper Abby Harrison got her hands on the ball early, intercepting crosses and stopping multiple shots before the clock reached the 10-minute mark.
TMU pushed back against the Varsity Blues’ attack, but it was U of T who found the back of the net first, beating Harrison near the 20th minute for a 1-0 lead. Not long after the first goal, Toronto tickled the twine for a second time, after a bouncing ball inside the six-yard box ended up on a Varsity Blue cleat for the tap-in.
Down 2-0, TMU increased its aggression, building plays patiently as they progressed up the field, rather than rushing as they did early in the half. Despite this, U of T continued to deflate Bold attacks while maintaining possession of the ball.
The first half went from bad to worse when Bold striker Ivymae Perez went down with an injury in the 37th minute. After remaining on the pitch for a few minutes, she made her way to the tent under her own power.
Seconds before the referee blew an end to the first half, the Varsity Blues scored again, as striker Lindsay Bosveld headed a cross from the right corner past Harrison to make it a three-goal lead entering the halftime break.
Coming out of the intermission, the Bold had to make adjustments if the score was going to remain at 3-0. Opening the second half the team came out fast, pushing the ball down the sidelines.
After a strong opening to the half from TMU, the visitors picked up where they left off from the first 45 minutes. They controlled the pace of the game while forcing the Bold to make quick decisions in rushed situations.
After a red card forced TMU to play with only 10 players, the dominant possession of the Blues only got stronger. Though the Bold struggled to generate strong scoring chances, they did test the U of T keeper in the 52nd and 54th minute on a header and long shot respectively.
Frustration began to boil over for the Bold late in the concluding half, with U of T answering every attack with a counter of their own.
The closing quarter of the game saw two more cards handed out, with each team being assessed a yellow. In the dying seconds of the match, Toronto striker Jayda Olak added another tally for the away side, putting the final touches on the 4-0 win.
After the loss, the Bold hold a record of 3-3-1 in league play, with their final five matches coming on the road. TMU currently sits at fifth place in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East Division and will see the second-, third-, fourth- and sixth-placed teams during their road trip.
UP NEXT: The Bold travel across town to Varsity Stadium where they’ll take on the University of Toronto for a second straight match. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. on Oct. 8.
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