By Kyla Pugen

Coming off a bounce-back victory against the Trent University Excalibur last weekend, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s soccer team kept their momentum rolling on Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 victory over the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins. 

Entering the pitch holding the sixth position in the national ranking, the Bold looked every bit like championship contenders from the opening whistle. Driven by crisp, controlled passing through the mid-block, TMU asserted dominance early and looked to quickly establish their play style.

With a busy schedule upcoming, TMU head coach Filip Prostran dipped into his deep roster, granting opportunities for bench players to step up and make an impact. 

“It doesn’t matter the opponent, it’s another opportunity for them to get better, grow their fitness, and be ready for tomorrow,” Prostran said after the match. “It wasn’t easy for us to take this game, but we went deep into the squad and you need to take every team seriously.” 

After only five minutes into the game, third-year Bold midfielder Sufyan Fraj found space in the box and opened the scoring, finding the back of the net in his first start of the season. 

“Coming into the game, I had expectations, I wanted to score and assist, so it was a good impact,” said Fraj after the match. “It was important to get the early goals so there’s less pressure on us.” 

TMU stayed on the attack around the 19-minute mark, where fourth-year forward Exosse Kadiebue capitalized by burying a chance deep in the box. The lead was pushed to 2-0 before halftime. 

As the second half got underway, the Bold maintained complete control by putting on a clinic in the midfield with slick outside-of-the-foot passes, drawing praises from spectators along the sidelines. Prostran credited his group’s execution in the middle of the pitch to sticking to the basics.

“The best midfielders are just good at the fundamentals,” said Prostran. “I think all our midfielders have those qualities.”

Behind them stood another season debutant, first-year goalkeeper Jarvis Lecky, who anchored the defence to keep RMC off the scoresheet so far.

“I felt proud to play for TMU, and it was a good first start overall,” Lecky reflected post-game, stating “I just take the experience of the game time I got, and then go on to the next games with more experience and more confidence.”

The Bold put the final exclamation mark on their attack thanks to third-year striker Taha Ilyass capitalizing off a rebound. After burying it into the back of the net, TMU would extend their lead to 3-0, leaving the Paladins hopeless with roughly 15 minutes left in regulation. 

RMC managed to break the clean sheet after being awarded a penalty kick, where fourth-year midfielder Arvin Holman got one back for the visitors. However, the late goal did little to derail the Bold, who comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to seal the 3-1 victory. 

With the win, TMU now leads the OUA’s East division, placing them well above the sixth-ranked Carleton University Ravens, whom they will host tomorrow, nearly one year since their loss to them in the playoff quarterfinals.

UP NEXT: TMU returns to Downsview Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, for a high-stakes matchup against the Carleton Ravens. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.