TMU gets their revenge in a 2-1 win against U of T

By Keiran Gorsky

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold Men’s soccer team avenged their defeat two days prior with a 2-1 victory over the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon. 

The Bold lost 3-2 to the Varsity Blues on Friday night at Varsity Stadium but came out stronger on home turf on Sunday.

The match was marked by an impressive performance from star attacking midfielder and graduate student Chris Campoli, who started alongside his brother, first-year defender Michael Campoli for the first time.

“The biggest thing was just a couple of personnel adjustments,” said head coach Filip Prostran. “It’s hard to play two games in 40 hours… we’ve got a deep team and I can pick any player to play and the level doesn’t drop.”

A striking example was third-year forward Jevontae Layne, who made his debut in the match. Formerly of the Sheridan Bruins, Layne played with League1 Ontario’s Simcoe County Rovers this summer, where he tallied 13 goals. In April, he started against Toronto FC in the preliminary round of this year’s Canadian Championship.

“He’s a top goalscorer right now, can’t expect less from him, honestly”

From kick off, a fluttering flag over Downsview Park made it clear that long threaded passes might be hard to come by. That persistent wind did the job for both defences, making for scrappy, difficult advancement into either final third of the pitch.

Luckily for the home team, it made for a perfect patch of chaos in the 7th minute. A frantic ball, bouncing high in the air, left third-year Varsity Blues goalkeeper Alex Lin on the ground after a missed catch. Scrambling, he kicked the ball directly to Chris Campoli, who made no mistake putting it past him to grab a 1-0 lead.

What followed was a long, uneventful stretch, made especially chippy by continuous fouls and many balls finding their way out of bounds. Chris Campoli, who has a habit of dropping quite deep despite his knack for appearing in the box, was booked in the 11th minute after a physical foul against second-year forward Andrea Schifano.

In the 36th minute, the Bold doubled their lead. A whipped cross from graduate forward Luca Di Marco saw fourth-year midfielder Justin Santos blast the ball off the woodwork. The rebound once again popped onto the feet of Chris Campoli, who easily knocked in his brace.

“He’s a top goalscorer as of right now,” Michael Campoli said of his brother, “Can’t expect less from him, honestly.”

Soon after, the Bold were denied two chances to put the game out of reach, both off the boots of the newcomer Layne. One came directly off a set piece, the other inside the box — both were ruled off on account of an offside and a handball respectively. 

“Honestly, I was a bit confused,” Layne said. “[But I] couldn’t complain. The ref made his call.”

“I spoke to the referee and he gave me a good explanation,” said head coach Filip Prostran. “They were completely fair that they were called back.”

After a dominant display from TMU, the tides shifted quickly in the second half. After a long-range attempt from first-year midfielder Niklas Hallam that hit the post, an awkwardly positioned Bold allowed the Varsity Blues striker to  drill a rebound past third-year keeper Dante Ferraro in the 59th minute.

From here, the Bold’s attack grew inert as the visitors took control of the game. In the 61st minute, Ferraro sprang out of goal to deny fourth-year forward Kingsley Belele on a tightly contested one-on-one.

“I’ve been a victim so many times of protecting a lead,” said Prostran. “You sit back and sit back and there’s just one error and you regret sitting back. There’s a final balance of both… it’s a funny game at every level.” 

U of T’s crisp passing play threatened to punish the Bold as the match drew to a close. They failed to penetrate the TMU’s backline until deep into added time, where Varsity Blue’s forward Schifano found the ball at his feet near the penalty spot off a whipped cross. An inadvertent stop from Ferraro saved the day. 

“I had to come out,” Ferraro said, “The ball hit me. Unfortunately it fell but it was a good save to keep the momentum going.”

UP NEXT: The TMU Bold continue to take the field against the Trent Excalibur on Sept. 13 at Justin Chiu Stadium in Peterborough, Ont. Kick-off is set at 8:15 p.m.