By Francesco Cautillo

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) men’s soccer team won 1-0 against the McMaster University Marauders in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinals on Saturday night at Downsview Park.

The Bold came into this game following a historic 2-1 victory over the Carleton Ravens, in which fifth-year goalkeeper Dante Ferraro played hero, saving three penalties and solidifying triumph in the spot kicks.

With the whistle blown, both teams opened their possessions with intensity, hoping to shake off the nerves as well as the harsh temperatures on this cold Halloween night.

TMU opened the scoring three minutes in following an electric run from fourth-year forward Exosse Kadiebue, who dribbled past the defender with unmatched pace before smashing it short-side and into the net.

Kadiebue mentioned that “it felt great” to claim the opener, discussing the priorities for the team and how “the job is not done.”

TMU head coach Filip Prostran mentioned the pressure which comes from scoring first, stating “When you score that early, it’s tricky, you almost stop playing. You’re like ‘Is this enough? Do we need to score another one? Do we need to sit back?’.”

McMaster was quick to collect themselves, picking up free kicks and other dangerous shot chances deep in the TMU defensive zone.

High off confidence from his last performance, Ferraro was sprawling across his net, punching out crosses and blocking powerful Marauder shots.

After 20 minutes, the Bold began to find their footing again. A cross towards the far post found the foot of third-year defender Luc Ihama, who hit a half-volley which left the goaltender helpless. Unfortunately for the home side, the ball bounced off the crossbar and was cleared desperately by the McMaster defence, keeping the score at 1-0 in favour of TMU.

While everything was looking perfect for TMU, things got scary fast as Ferraro went down with an injury. However, the Bold faithful could remain at ease, as the veteran keeper was able to stay in the game, resuming play around the 35-minute mark.

Moments later, Ferraro made a diving stop to reject the Marauders equalizer, looking seemingly unfazed by any physical strain earlier. Kadiebue’s heroics and Ferraro’s consistency were able to help TMU hold their 1-0 advantage until halftime.

After the break, the Marauders picked up their intensity, aiming to find a tying goal earlier rather than push their luck. By pushing their possession up with long ball passes, the Bold were forced to make fouls, picking up yellow cards and clearing the ball quickly to counter McMaster’s onslaught of pressure.

TMU’s aggression continued into the 70th minute with slide tackles and intense pressing. The referee’s whistle was working overtime, calling fouls on both sides and rising above the roars of the Downsview crowd.

Ihama helped out end-to-end during this stretch, picking up open attackers on defence and helping provide incisive passes on offense.

“I think we stayed structured together and handled a lot of pressure the whole game,” said Ihama.

Aware of the pressure and waning time, McMaster’s fifth-year goalkeeper Ethan Cagalj charged out of the net, clearing the ball and stopping any TMU attack that came his way.

The away side piled on the chances, leaving the Bold clearing countless opportunities off their own defensive line. Although TMU still held the lead, a McMaster goal seemed almost imminent, with the Bold’s only hope being draining out the remaining ten minutes or somehow sneaking another score.

At the 90th minute, the referee signaled for seven minutes of added time, much to the dismay of the Bold faithful. Breaths were held, chances were taken, yet still the defensive consistency of TMU prevailed.

Off possession, the Bold blocked shots in order to recover the ball, sending it down the pitch at any given opportunity, where their lone forwards could cradle and drain time.

Finally, the whistle was blown and the home bench rushed the field.

“To be fair, they were better than us today…” commented Prostran, adding that “that early goal helped us win the game, but it also changed the dynamic of how we were going to play.”

With this win, TMU eye their first OUA Finals game since 2022, in which the Bold were beaten by the Marauders with the exact same scoreline of 1-0.

This victory means more than just provincial implications as it also qualifies the Bold for the U SPORTS National Championships in Victoria, B.C.

UP NEXT: TMU face the Guelph Gryphons on Nov. 7 at Downsview Park with silverware on the line. Kick-off time it still to be determined.