TORONTO — On a sunny October afternoon, the Toronto Metropolitan (TMU) Bold men's soccer team kicked off a doubleheader weekend. Their first battle was against the Royal Military College (RMC) Paladins on Saturday.
The game ended 3-1 in favour of the TMU Bold.
Returning to their home field at Downsview Park after a win against Trent, the Bold looked to record another three points. Since 2017, the Bold are 12-0 against the Paladins, winning both meetings in the previous year 3-0 and 2-0, respectively.
The match marked the debut of first-year goalkeeper Jarvis Lecky.
"I felt proud to play for TMU and it was a good first start overall," the goalkeeper said about his campaign. Lecky ended the game with four saves and one goal against.
As the game began, TMU didn't waste any time attacking. Third-year Sufyan Fraj got the scoring started early in the sixth minute, accepting a ball from teammate Darius Kerr-Cooper. Fraj finished it into the back corner of the net. The goal was Fraj's first in the 2026 season. After a few more quality chances by the Bold, Fraj wasn't done doing his part to help his team keep the lead. Thirteen minutes later, the midfielder crossed the ball in the 18-yard box, which was buried by forward Exosse Kadiebue to make it 2-0 in favour of the home team.
This was Fraj's first start of the year. He previously played in four games this season.
"It feels good to be honest," said Fraj. "Coming into the game I had… expectations… I wanted to [score] or get an assist, so it was a good impact."
The Bold continued to dominate the half. While holding off RMC attacks, the team constantly connected passes in an attempt to generate more chances deep in the opposing territory. Dennis Liu and Tyler Yasaka nearly finished on chances of their own. A free kick came in the late minutes of the half, taken by second-year Brandon Verburg, who took another chance to increase the lead, but unfortunately it was cleared by the Paladins' wall.
The Bold finished a clean first half with two goals on three shots on net and two corners.
The earlier portion of the second half saw more action in the TMU end, but the defence and Lecky kept the ball clear of the net. Momentum eventually shifted back to TMU when the offence reignited their attack. Yasaka's strike beat the RMC goalkeeper, but Jamie Benayon-Abraham was called offside. The Bold continued to fight for more chances that were either blocked, cleared, or once again called offside. That is, until midfielder Taha Ilyass added another goal to the scoreboard in the 75th minute.
Trouble came in the dying minutes of the half when Paladins midfielder Rory Chapman was fouled in the box, awarding them a penalty kick against the Bold's rookie goalkeeper. Arvin Holden took the kick and placed the ball into the right side of the netting, putting the Paladins on the board at 3-1.
Lecky stayed busy during the three minutes of added time, making a kick save against RMC's Marcello Irangabiye and a diving save to stop a rebound shortly after. RMC couldn't quite make it past TMU's defence as the final whistle blew, ending its chances at a comeback against the home team
Although victorious, the win didn't come without its challenges. "RMC is a well-coached team, hard working. It wasn't easy for us to take this win," said Head Coach Filip Prostran. "It's always nice to start the weekend on a win."
Part two of the doubleheader takes place tomorrow at Downsview Park against TMU rivals, the Carleton Ravens. Admission is free and kick-off begins at 3:15 p.m. EST.
