TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's soccer team fell to the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees Saturday afternoon, 5-0.
The Gee-Gees, ranked at number six in the U SPORTS National Ranking, entered this game as the heavy favourites against the Bold but TMU showed their worth early in the first half.
A back-and-forth start featured the two teams taking turns on the offensive end. The Bold's pressure at the net put the Gee-Gees on the ropes.
However, it was Ottawa who struck first. Midfielder Élianne Gervais snuck a ball behind TMU goalkeeper
Elisa Paolucci after a hectic corner kick play.
The Bold didn't let the early goal phase them, though, and kept fighting defensively. A well-timed tackle from forward
Taylor Fazzari prevented what would have been an open shot for Ottawa.
The first-year Fazzari has been fantastic in her rookie season with the Bold, scoring four goals in just seven games played.
"[Fazzari] has been very, very important. She's a player that we depend on to get us into the box, and to get those final actions going," said TMU Interim Head Coach
John Yacou.
Defence led to offence for TMU shortly after as an open look from
Taliyah Walker skinned a touch left of the net. The team came just short of a goal once again right before the halftime whistle sounded, with a crowded battle in the Gee-Gees' box resulting in multiple near misses. The Bold entered halftime down 1-0.
Ottawa upped their lead to 2-0 less than a minute into the second frame, as forward Vivian Johnson just squeezed it past Paolucci.
"Coming into the second half and conceding so early, it was a lot tougher to come out of," said Yacou.
Down by two, TMU continued to fight. Bringing maximum effort on both defence and offence, they brought the same competitive spirit that they've been known to have all season.
"I wouldn't knock our players on their ability to fight and their competitiveness," noted Yacou.
Ottawa's offence eventually managed to squeeze through, though, and the team scored three goals to put the Bold down 5-0 as the final whistle sounded.
With the loss, TMU falls to 3-4-1 on the season. They maintain their spot at sixth place in the OUA Eastern Conference Standings.
The team continues with the second game of their back-to-back homestand against the Nipissing Lakers on Sunday, September 28. The game goes down in Downsview Park at 12:00 PM.
"It's difficult," admitted Yacou when asked about how to handle back-to-back games, "the players taking care of their bodies and recovering right now is the most crucial part."
