By Francesco Cautillo

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)  Bold men’s soccer team struck home a 2-1 victory in their season opener against the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues on Saturday at Varsity Stadium.

Coming off a heartbreaking U SPORTS quarterfinal loss to the Carleton University Ravens last season, the Bold entered the preseason rankings at eighth nationally, while their crosstown rivals were at third overall.

Key veteran players like midfielder Justin Santos and defender Noah Bickford departed the program over the summer after graduating and pursuing the game at higher levels. TMU head coach Filip Prostran commented on the adjustment to  losing these players, stating, “[Recruiting] is a combination of bringing young guys for the future and reloading for right now, and I think we did a really good job.”

With kick-off passed and the reality of the fresh season setting in, the two teams set their tone respectively, with TMU establishing a possession-based style and U of T looking to counter. This strategy proved aggressively efficient for the Varsity Blues, as third-year forward Niklas Hallam opened his season tally with a five-yard tap-in to put his team up by one.

The home side kept up their intensity despite the early lead, creating multiple breakaways and chances in the final third over the following ten minutes.

The Bold sustained their attack with crosses inside the box. Eventually, one found its way in during the 40th minute, when a bouncing ball found the foot of newest Bold recruit Tyler Yasaka, who joins from the 2026 collegiate champion Humber Hawks. 

Yasaka spoke on joining the Bold, stating “I love the team and the effort we put in, and I feel like this team can achieve a lot.”

With the scoreboard now level at one-all and halftime approaching, TMU made sure to keep up their momentum, in hopes of piercing the U of T defence and taking the lead before the break.

College transfer Darius Kerr-Cooper, another one of the Bold’s newest players, took matters into his own hands, collecting the ball just outside the 18-yard box before curling it perfectly into the top right corner and past the keeper. Varsity Stadium erupted as Kerr-Cooper claimed a 2-1 half-time lead and scored what could already be considered one of the goals of the season.

“It was a good hit. I’m just doing it for my team, we had to pull this one through,” said a humble Kerr-Cooper.

To make matters worse for U of T, first-year defender Tom Rosenberg was forced off early due to a defensive zone collision. Noticing the mix in defence, the Bold continued to feed the ball to Kerr-Cooper, who used his electric pace and smart technical dribbling to beat the defenders.

Although not in panic mode yet, U of T continued its search for an equalizer in the second half. A quick passing play in the 18-yard box put them knocking at the door. However, fifth-year goalkeeper Dante Ferraro stepped up to the challenge, pushing away the ball and denying the game-tying opportunity.

Heading into extra time, the Bold held a narrow 2-1 lead, as Ferraro stepped up with more commanding stops and clearing blasts, hoping to drain the time and energy of the Varsity Blues.

Prostran commented on battling U of T, stating that “for me, this is the best rivalry in the OUA, and to have a great rival, you need two top programs.”

In the end, the late push proved insufficient for U of T, as TMU claimed  a 2-1 win, snatching their first three points of the season and the title of Toronto derby winners.

UP NEXT: The Bold will face Ontario Tech on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. at Vaso’s Field in Oshawa, Ont.