TORONTO - The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold took the 2-0 win against the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins after a late flurry of goals on Saturday afternoon at Downsview Park.
Early in the match, TMU dictated the possession and spent most of the time in the Paladins' half. The Bold seemed as if they were in complete control throughout the first half.
Despite the Bold being in the driver's seat, they could not convert on their opportunities and the half ended scoreless.
Bold winger Journey Lashley had the best chance of the first half when she cut across the box and put a shot on goal before RMC goalkeeper Breanna Habinski made a diving save to corral the ball.
"We tried to get in wide areas and look for cut-backs but didn't have much success," said interim Bold head coach John Yacou.
The Bold began the second half where they left off in the first. They kept their foot on the gas in the search of the opening goal but still couldn't find the back of the net.
In the 47th minute, Samantha Naus had the best chance of the game up to that point as they let off a cracker of a shot from inside the halfway line. The chance ended up hitting off the crossbar after being tipped by Habinski and the Bold could not capitalize.
"I think we rushed to get that first goal and it cost us clear chances," said Yacou.
Through the 80th minute, the shot count was 12-0 in favour of the Bold, however, the score remained 0-0.
Regardless of the missed opportunities, the Bold kept pushing and were finally able to break the tie.
"It was just a matter of time before it went our way," said Yacou.
"We knew a goal was coming," said Bold defender—and rookie—Ava Berry.
In the 89th minute, Berry took a pass from forward Ivymae Perez and hooked a shot over Habinski to find the back of the net.
"I just came on and wanted to make an impact on the field," said Berry. "I saw a big space around the 18-yard box and called for the ball. I got the layoff and it was a perfect setup so I could hit it one time."
As soon as TMU found the first goal, the floodgates began to open. Around thirty seconds later, Naus doubled the Bold lead after they took a shot from inside the box and buried it in the top right corner of the near post.
"Once Aalayah [Lully] passed it, I knew it was going short-side and there was no chance the goalie would have been able to get it," said Naus.
The final whistle was blown shortly after as the late rush resulted in the Bold leaving Downsview with three points. They improve their record to 3-2 and currently sit fifth in the division.
The Bold now look to their next game tomorrow afternoon at Downsview against Ontario Tech Ridgebacks as they search to add another in the win column. The match was postponed last Sunday and was rescheduled for tomorrow. Kickoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
"We got the result today, but we were hoping for a bigger goal differential," said Naus. "We'll take the win and look forward to Ontario Tech tomorrow."
"It will be a tough game tomorrow," said Yacou. "We had a good result against them last time, so they are going to come here looking for a big game and we have to be a lot better than today."
