By Daniel Carrero
“It’s been a hell of a ride,” was the way Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) alumna Ivymae Perez described her last game with the TMU Bold women’s soccer team on Oct. 22, 2023.
Now, the ride continues with a new journey—pro soccer.
On Thursday morning, AFC Toronto announced Perez has joined the team on a one-year contract for the inaugural season of the Northern Super League (NSL).
The NSL is set to be the first professional women’s soccer league in Canada. Co-founded by former Canadian national team player Diana Matheson through her company Project 8 Sports Inc., the league consists of six teams—AFC Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC and Vancouver Rise FC. The league will kick-off on April 16.
Now, Perez will be a part of the next generation of Canadian soccer.
“It’s just crazy to me right now,” said Perez. “Everything was so slow a few weeks ago. Now all the media, news outlets are coming in.”
Perez played for the TMU women’s soccer team from 2021 to 2023, appearing in 26 games across four seasons and accumulating 10 goals and three assists. Though her career with the Bold was marred by a mix of injuries and inconsistency, she relishes her time as a Bold athlete.
“I’ll always remember the bond I formed with my teammates through all the ups and downs we went through together,” said Perez. “We shared a lot of moments, whether it was the frustration of a tough loss or a tough practice, or [assistant coach Johnny Yacou] yelling at us or just the pure joy of a good rondo [soccer drill]. It was really special.”
“That’s when he said, ‘We’re deciding to offer you a contract. What are your thoughts on this? We want you to be all in'”
After graduating from TMU, Perez considered going to Humber College to complete her master’s degree in forensic identification. She had intended to join the soccer team and was even announced as a 2024 recruit for the Humber Hawks.
Perez said she was “looking forward” to joining the Hawks but a position opened in her field with the Peel Regional Police (PRP), so she “took the opportunity and ran with it.”
Despite focusing on her career, Perez never left soccer behind.
Perez continued playing with the North Toronto SC Nitros in League1 Ontario Premier division under head coach Billy Wilson, who was appointed as AFC Toronto’s sporting director in August. Wilson has been part of Perez’ progression through the ranks as an attacking midfielder since her early days in the Ontario Player Development League.
“[Wilson] has been a great mentor to me from the very start of my soccer journey. He’s one of those coaches who not only knows the game inside and out, but he also understands how to connect with players on a personal level,” said Perez.
According to Perez, Wilson discussed the reality of a new women’s soccer league with the Nitros squad during the summer.
Perez didn’t even consider pro soccer up to that point as she was focused on her career. She had convinced herself she would only play in League1 and eventually “forget about soccer.”
“Around November, October, he called me and [said] ‘OK, let’s have a chat.’” said Perez. “That’s when he said ‘We’re deciding to offer you a contract. What are your thoughts on this? We want you to be all in.’”
Perez said her “mind was exploding in different places” as she had to decide between continuing her career with the PRP or joining the first professional women’s soccer league in Canada.
After some deliberation, she chose to leave her job to join NSL’s inaugural season, but is committed to returning to the PRP after her one-year deal.
“I absolutely want to go back after my contract ends. If it gets extended, then we’ll go from there,” said Perez.
The 23-year-old did not always have the perfect soccer career.
After high school, Perez joined the University of South Florida Bulls to play in National Collegiate Athletics Association Division 1, where she said the level of soccer is so high, “you can’t have a bad day.” With it being her first time living away from home, she said she struggled to adapt.
“I became really homesick. And that homesickness kind of affected me more than I expected,” said Perez. “It took a toll on my mental game to the point where I wasn’t performing the way I used to.”
Perez then joined the Bold, where the struggles became more physical than mental.
“It was either my right ankle, my left ankle, I had a concussion, it was my ankle again,” she said. “Those injuries tested me, honestly, my resilience and my determination to just get back on the field.”
“There were times where I had to push through that frustration and then rebuild my confidence time and time again—injury after injury—and all that. But honestly, those experiences made me mentally stronger,” she added.
“There were times where I had to push through that frustration and then rebuild my confidence time and time again—injury after injury—and all that”
Perez now has the opportunity to connect with former Bold men’s soccer assistant coach and now AFC Toronto’s head coach, Marko Milanović, as well as former teammate and League1 all-time leading goalscorer Jade Kovacevic.
“When I was playing with [Kovacevic] at North Toronto, I was honestly very intimidated at first, because I knew she put up results, she put up numbers and she’s a freak of an athlete,” said Perez. “But playing alongside her…she’s honestly the nicest, sweetest person ever. So I’m excited to play with her at this level.”
AFC Toronto will begin training on Feb. 3. There, Perez will begin to train with a roster featuring the likes of Canadian women’s national team player Emma Regan, former U Sports all-Canadian Cloey Uddenberg and former National Women’s Soccer League player Croix Soto, as well as Kovacevic.
Alongside Perez, the team announced the signings of two other North Nitro players: 2023 U-Sport Rookie of the Year Sarah Rollins and goalkeeper Sierra Cota-Yarde, who has played for Portugal at the under-19, under-23 and senior national team levels.
“I believe the players that [Milanović] chose to be on AFC Toronto are for a reason,” said Perez. “It’s not just because they’re athletic or anything, these are special players.”
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