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TMU Athletics & Recreation

THE OFFICIAL HOME OF TMU Bold
THE OFFICIAL HOME OF THE TMU Bold HOME OF THE TMU Bold
The TMU team celebrates after a goal
Photo by Josh Kim
0
Nipissing NIPISSIN ()
3
Winner Toronto Metropolitan TMU ()
Nipissing NIPISSIN
()
0
Final
3
Toronto Metropolitan TMU
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Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Nipissing NIPISSIN 0 0 0
Toronto Metropolitan TMU 0 3 3

Game Recap: Soccer (M) | | Nashra Syed

Bold advance to second round with three goals, cleansheet against Nipissing

TORONTO - The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team successfully battled out their first game of the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) playoffs against the visiting Nipissing Lakers at Downsview Park.

"I've been through more than a few playoffs now and no playoff game I've ever played is straightforward…We knew they were dangerous, they were tough, they were going to fight, and they did," said Filip Prostran, the program's head coach.

The Bold's passing was strong in the first as the team dribbled the ball from player to player.

Zak Abdi and Bilal Reslan made multiple attempts both on and off goal, but none were able to pass the Lakers.

A 37th minute foul gave the Bold a free kick. Taken by Chris Campoli, the shot on goal was caught by the Lakers goalkeeper. Throughout the first half, both teams maintained even possession of the ball.

Reslan received a yellow card in the half's closing minutes while the Lakers struggled to produce a goal.

As the night progressed, the rain made an appearance over the field at Downsview. Neither team was able to score, leaving the first half scoreless.

The sense of urgency the Bold brought in the first wasn't something that went unnoticed, and they were ready to double that in the following minutes.

"A bit of personnel, having just a bit more sense of urgency, I think those are the two determining factors," said Prostran.

After a missed corner kick from the Bold, the Lakers took that opportunity to charge towards keeper Obrad Bejatovic. First-year Kaostubh Bolla received a yellow card, making it the second one for the home team. After thwarting the Lakers' chance, the Bold turned up field.

Campoli ran past the Lakers' defensive line to put the blue and gold in the lead, scoring a goal in the 60th minute. The team rushed over to the bleachers to celebrate their first goal of the playoffs with the crowd, which included the program's alumni.

"TMU is a family between past and present players and kind of everyone in between," said Campoli. "It's always nice to have support, support in general. It really gives the team a boost especially with home advantage. I saw [previous players and my family], I ran over to them and I thought it was a really special moment," he added.

Campoli earned the OUA East division's top goal scorer status this season, adding another title to his already impressive resume.

"Chris's resume in the OUA goes without question…he only played nine games and still led the league. I mean, what can you say about Chris," said Prostran.

The Lakers were under pressure to make the score even but coming onto the field in the 62nd minute, third-year Jaylen Drummond scored a goal in the 86th.

"It was a throw from, seeing Campoli flick it on, took a touch and tried to rifle it into the bottom corner and it worked out in the end," said Drummond.

This is Drummond's first season dressed as a member of the Bold, but he's managed to perform, scoring two goals in four games.

The team was now up a pair and could feel the victory coming, but to secure the lead even further, midfielder Bilal Reslan popped another goal for the home team in the 90th.

"[Marko Milanovic and I] know Bilal's quality and he was excellent today. The goal was a nice touch to his great plan," said the head coach.

The team celebrated a clean sheet victory over Nipissing and are ready for the next round of the playoffs.

Playing his old team in a knockout round, Campoli realizes that there will be emotions off the field, but he's ready to switch it off once he steps onto the pitch.

"Oh obviously there's emotions, that's always part of the game especially when I was there for four years. They trained me into the player I am today and I'll always be grateful for that," said Campoli. 

"I play for TMU now and I'll do anything to make sure that we win and get to the next round, that's my primary focus. Once that whistle goes, there are no friends anymore and I see everybody as an enemy," added the opening goal scorer.

The team hits the road and heads to Oshawa on Saturday for a quarter-final game against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. Kickoff is set for 3:15 p.m.
 
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