TORONTO – Aalayah Lully's first-career OUA hat trick helped take down the Laurentian Voyageurs and propelled the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's soccer team to a 3-0 Senior Day victory on Saturday. 

Lully found the back of the net in the fifth, 13th and 61st minute to provide all the support the Bold needed in shutting out the Voyageurs to match their single-season win record (7) from 2021. 

"I think this was our most solid performance all season," said interim head coach John Yacou following the win.

"It's a massive win for us because we get to host a playoff game which is very important," added Yacou. Saturday's victory secures home-field advantage for the Bold in round one of the postseason, with the team locking up a top-four seed in the OUA East. 

The Bold honoured their eight graduating seniors; Jordan Auger, Tierra Bennett, Emily Di Natale, Julia Fasan, Abby Harrison, Amy MacLellan, Emily Porteous and Taliyah Walker prior to the game, inviting the players' families onto the field to celebrate their commitment to the program. 

The Bold's graduating class has combined for over 150 games throughout their time with the Downsview-based team and in 2024, are collectively enjoying their best record since joining the Bold. 
 
Despite being a season away from her senior year, Lully has been a leading figure for the Bold in transitioning the group to new heights this season, leading the team's scoring charts and shattering her one-goal production rate from last fall.

Lully was able to take a stranglehold of the game by just the fifth minute, curling a shot from inside the Voyageurs' penalty box to grab TMU's quickest lead of the season. 

A second goal from the third-year helped push the game out of the visitors' reach in the 13th minute, with Lully powering through a series of idle Voyageurs to grab her team-leading sixth goal of the campaign.  

"[Aalayah] came into [the season] with a completely different mindset," mentioned Yacou, who coached Lully at the club level over the summer. 

"I am really happy for her because she is someone who just puts her head down and works," he added. 

She was able to slide in her third goal of the match from the penalty spot in the 61st minute to make history for herself on the final weekend of the regular season. 

"I think I will hold [this moment] in my heart forever," said Lully after her historic afternoon at Downsview Park. 

"The season for me is my season, my comeback year to really shine and be the top goal-scorer on the team."

Coming out on top of Laurentian, and serving a scoreline that could have been tilted further into their favour after hitting four posts in the second half, TMU will look to secure one last win before heading to the playoffs next week. 

The Bold will have a chance at setting their all-time seasonal win record against the Nipissing Lakers on Sunday when they take on the second-place side in the OUA East. 

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m and can be watched live on OUA.tv.