Bold square off with Toronto in opening round of the postseason

TORONTO - Before their regular season even began, the TMU Bold women's soccer team was making lengthy and crucial strides ahead of their boots even grazing the pitch. Interim head coach John Yacou was a firm believer in tightly lacing his group together, working heavily on not just the on field success, but even more so the relationships that would appear off it.

Planting the idea of becoming close as a family is something the Bold's head coach did on the very first day of training camp back in August. Now, with the team being just days away from kicking off their third consecutive playoff run, it is not just Yacou that has doubled down on this familial philosophy, but rather all 27 of TMU's players that have donned the blue and gold this season.

Among the long list of family members that Yacou believes has effectively bought into his close-knit culture, veteran midfielder Vittoria Gallivan is one of the group's most resounding advocates for this cause. The third-year believes the chemistry the team has developed throughout the season will comfortably translate into postseason success, mentioning how their familial environment will "carry [them] to the very end".

"On and off the field, you fight for your family and win for your family," added Gallivan.

With the OUA season officially coming to a close this past Sunday, the league's ever-changing playoff bracket finally cemented itself and matched the Bold up with their city rivals in round one.

Toronto placed fourth in the OUA East division, playing to a 9-3-0 record while being a top-ten team in all offensive stats this season. Despite the Bold placing sixth in the OUA East with a 3-6-3 record, being the clearcut underdog has not phased the team's bench boss at all, believing that his side has been portrayed as prey all year long.

Likewise, Gallivan dismissed the possibilities of an 'underdog mentality' heading into Wednesday's matchup, saying: "we don't even think about that, we just play our game".

Recently, however, the Bold's game has failed to turn over a profit away from their home of Downsview Park. Since embarking on their season-ending four-game road trip, the Bold were unable to put a trio of points on the board and currently head into the postseason winless in seven consecutive outings.

Coincidentally, it was the Varsity Blues that kicked off this frustrating stretch of play for the Bold, knocking them off in back-to-back contests while outscoring TMU 9-2. The road away from Downsview has yet to bring many successes to the Bold this season and is something the group looks to change on Wednesday at Varsity Stadium - a place in which TMU has never claimed victory before.

Getting on the scoresheet and perhaps beating the Blues to the punch could very well set the Bold up nicely in their quest to rewrite history on the city's western front. Leading goal scorer Ivymae Perez is a weapon that has fired at will throughout the regular season, and is something that Yacou thinks will withhold itself this Wednesday.

"She is the difference maker on our team," added Yacou.

The objective all season long for Yacou and his side was to land a spot in the playoffs. So far, the Bold have lived up to their expectations and will look to shatter them in the upcoming week by holding family and hunger in the highest regard.

"This could be history for our program," said Gallivan, an element she wishes to embrace in the upcoming days.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with OUA.tv streaming the match live on Wednesday night.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Vittoria Gallivan: MF; 5' 9"; 3

#8 Ivymae Perez: MF; 5' 4"; 3

Players Mentioned

#6 Vittoria Gallivan
: 5' 9"; 3
: MF

#8 Ivymae Perez
: 5' 4"; 3
: MF

Players Mentioned

#6 Vittoria Gallivan

#8 Ivymae Perez

Players Mentioned

#6 Vittoria Gallivan

#8 Ivymae Perez