TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's soccer team battled the Laurentian Voyageurs to a 1-1 draw at Downsview Park on Saturday afternoon.
Before their final regular-season home match and in honour of Senior Day, five of the Bold's graduating student-athletes were given a well-deserved celebration:
Becca Bartosh,
Reilly Flesher,
Elisa Paolucci,
Vanessa Pianta and
Amanda Rankin.
Head Coach
John Yacou presented the players with flowers, a framed jersey, and a framed action shot of them on the field. The heartwarming moment provided the women with the opportunity to celebrate their successful OUA careers alongside their friends, family, and teammates.
"[Bartosh, Flesher, Paolucci, Pianta, and Rankin] have been a massive part of this program during the last four years they've been here," said Yacou. "They've established a great reputation around the league for being good leaders, good characters, and good people."
Laurentian played an aggressive defensive style, applying constant pressure on the ball. In the 22nd minute, they scored off a deflection to take an early 1-0 lead. Suddenly, TMU was forced to fight from behind.
Despite the deficit, Yacou's squad continued to earn scoring chances.
A scramble in the 36th minute saw multiple Bold players find opportunities just a few feet away from the goal–Voyageurs players blocked the attempts, but it kept TMU's morale high.
Early in the second half, the Bold's momentum continued to build. A power shot from Bartosh forced Voyageurs goalkeeper Noémie Bouchard into a diving save on the left side.
In the 58th minute, Laurentian midfielder Megan Crane received her second yellow card, resulting in a red card and her ejection from the game. The Bold held a one-player advantage for the remainder of the match.
That advantage came to fruition almost immediately: just two minutes later, a corner kick from striker
Taylor Fazzari resulted in a scramble around the net. First-year midfielder
Vanessa Salazar chipped it into the net, earning her first OUA goal and tying the match 1-1.
TMU rode the momentum from Salazar's goal late into the match. A shot from Fazzari missed just right in the 87th minute.
Despite the chances, the squad was unable to find the back of the net. Yacou was happy with the performance of his team, even with the result:
"We didn't get the win, but we showed a lot of good character," he said.
The Bold's season record now sits at 3-4-3, good for sixth place in the OUA East division.
Yacou's squad now takes a week off before taking on the Voyageurs once again on Oct. 17 in Sudbury. The coach feels his team is prepared for the matchup after seeing Laurentian's play style up close:
"The girls can see that Laurentian is a team that fights, gets in your face, and doesn't give you much time with the ball," Yacou said. "You have to be on your toes. You have to be ready to play."
Start time is set for 12:00 p.m. at Laurentian Field, and fans can tune in live on OUA.tv.
