TORONTO – For their final home game of the regular season, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team took on the Laurentian Voyageurs. Despite a strong performance from the Bold, they dropped the match 1-0 to the Voyageurs.
Not only was it their last game at Downsview for the regular season, but it was also the men's senior game where they celebrated the graduating seniors of the 2026 season.
Luca Porfiris, the fifth-year business management student, was the lone senior. Porfiris has appeared in over 50 games for the Bold and donned the captain's armband in the contest against the Voyageurs. Less than 24 hours ago, he authored a must-see goal-of-the-year candidate from beyond midfield against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Oct. 9.
The game against Laurentian could be described as a game of momentum. The Voyageurs attempted to get a shot off in the 17th minute, but it was blocked by midfielder
Brandon Verburg. Verburg immediately responded by reclaiming the ball, dribbling up the middle of the field for an attempt that went wide of the net. TMU's production continued as
Benjamin Dunn made a cross into the net that was unsuccessful. The Voyageurs would return the pressure, as they took a free kick opportunity to press the box but senior Porfiris was there to head the ball away and out of trouble.
Tyler Yasaka fought for chances of his own as he beat out two Voyageurs for the ball to earn a run down the line.
The Bold were building all the right momentum in the game. The offence was producing chances. The defence also put on a clinic in the half. When a Laurentian forward struck the ball into the 6-yard box,
Alexander Santillan was there to block the ball from going over the line. The Bold's best scoring opportunity in the first came from a
Sebastian Castello free kick which curled into the box, rebounding off a player where
Sufyan Fraj stood poised to fire it at the goal. He narrowly missed the net. In added minutes of the first, the Bold survived a near miss when a Voyageurs strike would miss the net by inches, rolling out of play past the right post.
At the half, TMU finished with two corner chances and one proper shot on goal. Second-year goalkeeper
Matthew Owang, making his first start of the season, had two saves on two shots on goal.
The Bold returned to the second half pushing right into Laurentian's half. The defensive efforts of the Bold backline consisting of Porfiris, Santillian, Castello and
Noah Pickering continued to work hard. During a scramble inside the TMU box in the 52nd minute, the defence fought the ball away, keeping the game even at 0-0. After a ball hit the crossbar in the TMU end,
Taha Ilyass controlled a ball off his head and pressed the goalkeeper, but his shot went to the side and out for a Laurentian goal kick. As the game wore on, both teams continued to fight in the middle of the pitch, hungry to get the scoring going. A series of possessions from Owang to Fraj, then to Ilyass showed as a prime chance to render a goal. Unfortunately, Ilyass was fouled by a Laurentian defender. Luckily, the whistle blew and they were awarded a free kick at the top of the 18-yard box. Ilyass lined up to take the strike but the ball sailed over the crossbar.
The wind would serve as a friend for TMU in the 67th minute when a Laurentian corner kick was carried outside the field of play. Nine minutes later, the Voyageurs would find success after a header by Samuel Ekichi.
Immediately after,
Darius Kerr-Cooper,
Aidan Hugo, and
Exosse Kadiebue entered the game for the Bold. Kadiebue wasted no time fighting for his team. While dribbling the ball up the centre, he was tripped just outside the box, which resulted in a foul.
Brandon Verburg lined up for the shot and was blocked by the Voyageurs' wall.
The Bold increased their intensity, fighting for a chance to finish in the net. Owang did his part to keep more goals out of the net, with a spectacular sequence involving back-to-back split saves in the 85th minute. Kadiebue finally found the back of the net in the dying minutes of the half, yet the goal was called offside by the linesman.
In the seven minutes of added time, the Bold dug deep for an opportunity to even the score. They came very close on multiple occasions. The Bold defence fought off one last breakaway from Laurentian to keep their deficit within one. The final whistle blew, cutting the Bold men short of their chances for a draw.
The Bold return to play for a second chance against the Laurentian Voyageurs at Laurentian Field in Sudbury, Ontario on Saturday, Oct. 17. Kick-off begins at 2:15 pm and it is FREE to watch on OUA.tv.
