TORONTO — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team defeated the Carleton Ravens at Downsview Park on Sunday afternoon, 2-1 thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from midfielder
Aidan Hugo.
These two teams have been bitter rivals for years, producing countless close matches. The last time they faced off, the result was a tough, grit-and-grind 1-0 win for the Ravens in extra time during the quarter-final of the 2025 OUA playoffs.
Thanks to Hugo's heroics, the Bold earned some revenge on Sunday.
"They've been our greatest rivals for the past decade," said Bold Head Coach
Filip Prostran. "We've shared wins, losses, tough moments, good moments. It's always a pleasure playing them; they're a great, fantastic team…and when you get to beat a quality side, sure–it means a little bit more."
Scoring chances were just as infrequent early on Sunday as during that playoff match in 2025. Both defences held their positions well, preventing any open chances around the net.
One of the Bold's rare opportunities in the first half came from forward
Tyler Yasaka, who narrowly missed a header opportunity off a corner kick in the 34th minute.
The chance helped TMU build some momentum. Shortly after an impressive save from goalkeeper
Dante Ferraro, forward
Exosse Kadiebue found himself with an open lane on the left side of the pitch.
The fourth-year transfer split two Ravens defenders with a nifty fake and buried a power shot into the top right corner, giving the Bold a 1-0 lead.
"I just do my job, honestly," he said when asked about the goal.
Kadiebue, who has previous experience playing with the Humber Hawks of the OCAA, has made an immediate impact in his first season with the Bold. The contribution was his third of the season on 12 shots.
"I'm loving this team," Kadiebue praised. "It's like a family, so it feels great to win with this team."
Fresh off earning a 1-0 lead, the Bold headed into halftime with some positive momentum.
They carried that momentum into the second half with a tap-in score by defender
Luc Ihama–unfortunately, the goal was later flagged as offside.
The Ravens took advantage of that disappointment, scoring off a cross that opened up the right side of the net to tie things up at 1-1.
In the 84th minute, Kadiebue beat a Ravens defender to the ball and found nothing but an open field between himself and goalkeeper Nathan Frans. To stop Kadiebue from what was sure to be a scoring chance, the Ravens held him back and were assigned a red card. TMU held a man advantage for the remainder of the match.
That extra body would pay off a few minutes later, as Hugo found an open pocket near the top right corner of the box. His shot deflected off a Ravens defender and bounced into the bottom-left side of the net, effectively winning the match for the Bold.
Downsview Park's crowd went into a frenzy, and Hugo was immediately surrounded by both his Bold teammates in a smile-filled celebration.
"That goal was amazing, and it took a deflection, so it made it even better," said Kadiebue.
Prostran praised not only Hugo's offence after the match, but his defensive efforts as well:
"You saw the goal at the end and all that, but today [Prostran saw] his defensive work rate–winning tackles, hitting people, tracking back–they're things he's capable of."
With the spectacular 2-1 win, the Bold now sit at 6-1-1 on the season, good for first in the OUA East division standings.
"It means a lot to us," said Kadiebue, "We wanted this win really badly."
Prostran's squad now enters the second half of their four-game homestand, playing at Downsview Park twice more before finishing off their regular season with two road matches.
They take the field next against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Friday, October 9. Start time is set for 3:15 p.m., and if Bold fans can't make the commute to North York, the match can be streamed live on OUA.tv.
