TORONTO—For the first time in program history, the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team are OUA Champions. Amidst a packed house on Saturday, TMU bested the Guelph Gryphons in a dominant 3-0 display.
History has a funny way of showing itself time and time again. The last time that the Bold and Gryphons met was in the 2016 OUA Semifinals. Guelph won 3-0 in overtime. Determined to settle the score, there was no better year than this for the Bold to take the Gryphons down.
Although it was a shutout win, the path to victory was difficult, and TMU more than proved that it was willing to take on the challenge.
The Bold faced some trouble early on when Guelph lined up to take a free kick after a foul. The kick—thanks to starting goalkeeper Dante Ferraro—was hit just off the goalpost, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
"[Ferraro is] the best goalie in the country," said Bold head coach Filip Prostran. "Against Carleton, he saved our butt, against McMaster…he saved us multiple times, and today, he was solid as usual."
With Guelph continuing to pressure, Ferraro did a great job at responding accordingly: deflecting the ball when needed, picking it up wherever possible and moving the play downfield. On one of these plays in the eighth minute, midfielder Aidan Hugo was able to capture the ball, lining up for a great shot that was ultimately saved by the Gryphons' keeper.
Two minutes later, Guelph received its first yellow card of the game.
Hugo would take the free kick, but it was blocked by Guelph. Hugo then had another chance on a corner kick, which went just wide of the net.
Another driving force for the Bold tonight was midfielder Darius Kerr-Cooper. Taking multiple corner kicks throughout the game, Kerr-Cooper did a great job at creating plays, manipulating the ball, and even helping out Ferraro from time to time.
In the 16th minute, the Gryphons were poised to make a shot. Kerr-Cooper read the play and dropped down in front of the net to save it. The ball went off his shins and was eventually redirected down the field.
With all the action continuing to occur in TMU's half, Ferraro was able to redirect the play, picking up the ball and throwing it downfield.
The ball was sent to midfielder Taha Ilyass, who headed it to forward Exosse Kadiebue. In a precise attack, Kadiebue launched the ball towards the net, sending it just over the fingertips of Guelph's goalkeeper, giving the Bold their first goal of the night, to the tune of DMX's "X Gon' Give It To Ya."
"[Kadiebue is] just incredible," said Prostran. "What you guys see on the field, he's twice as good of a person…he's just so invested, such a great team player."
In a tragic turn of events, Kadiebue would go down with an injury just eight minutes later. The fourth-year was visibly emotional as he walked off the pitch and did not return, despite his best efforts. Midfielder Jamie Benayon-Abraham came off the bench in his place.
Now with even more reason to fight for this victory, Hugo and Alexander Santillian worked together to create a great sequence, passing the ball back and forth to confuse the Guelph players and keep it within the offensive half. Ilyass, who was next to multiple Gryphon defenders on the play, would end up falling over, and Guelph was issued another yellow card.
On the free kick, Ilyass squared up, but it was blocked by the Gryphons. With the ball still in play, Kerr-Cooper took a commanding lead on the pitch, doing all he could to keep the momentum going. As the whistle blew, TMU walked off the pitch knowing the job was not yet finished, but nearly there.
The second half saw more control from both teams. With the Bold up by one and Guelph looking to get on the board, defensive tactics were prevalent throughout the latter side of the game.
During the half's opening minutes, there was lots of action in the midfield, with Ilyass taking the first shot to get the ball rolling. The third-year's shot was just wide, but he was getting closer.
Guelph made a flurry of substitution moves throughout, with one coming almost immediately after Ilyass' shot.
Hungry to get on the board, the Gryphons started to pressure downfield. Maintaining his composure throughout all the noise, Ferraro slid to make a save in the 59th minute, landing in an awkward position. The fifth year was down for a moment, but got up on his own and returned to playing, making yet another save just two minutes later.
"I just focus on the next action, focus on the next play," Ferraro noted. "If I get caught up in the moment, things can get crazy, so I just focus on the next save, the next action, and our team."
Midfielder Ivan Nechyporuk dazzled Guelph defenders with some fancy footwork midfield, juggling the ball over to Hugo, who had so far spent the half making big stops and redirecting plays.
In the 78th minute, Benayon-Abraham was tripped by a Guelph midfielder, causing him to go down with an injury. Defender Noah Pickering was sent in as a substitute.
Hugo would take another corner kick just minutes later, but it was interfered with by Guelph, resulting in a reset. On his second kick, Hugo curved the ball into the top corner, where it was deflected by the Gryphons' goalkeeper.
The ball would end up right at Ilyass' feet, and he took advantage of the defensive chaos happening in front of Guelph's net, sending it beyond reach, putting the Bold up 2-0 in the 86th minute.
"I knew the player that was cutting in, I knew he was going to put it back, so I kind of anticipated where the ball was gonna be," said Ilyass. "A goal's a goal, they all count the same, right? It doesn't always have to be pretty."
With an extra six minutes at the end of regulation, the Blackwood Cup was within a fingertip's reach for TMU. Among the many moves made by both teams, Hugo was substituted off for forward Tyler Yasaka, who was eager to wrap this game up.
After breaking away from Gryphon defenders, Yasaka found himself in a one-on-one battle with Guelph's netminder. With time seemingly moving fast and slow at once, the second-year lined up a shot and sent it perfectly between the legs of the Gryphons' keeper, making it 3-0 for the Bold, and bringing this game to a stunning close.
Yasaka scored the first goal of the OUA season for TMU on August 29, and the last, putting a beautiful bow on this perfectly poetic season.
During the post-game awards ceremony, Ferraro was named the Player of the Game, as well as Most Valuable Player.
"I can't explain what it's like winning the first-ever [championship] for the program in my last year with all the guys that I love," said Ferraro. "My family, pretty much my second family, it's an incredible feeling."
Joining the Bold for the first time this season, Ilyass had high hopes for both himself and his new club, ones that have now been achieved.
"My objective of the season was to bring TMU their first OUA title," said Ilyass. "We did that, now onto the next one. The job's not finished."
Up next, the Bold will head to Victoria, B.C. to participate in the U SPORTS Championship from Nov. 12-15. Although it will be yet another daunting test, the Bold are ready for whatever is thrown their way.
"We leave Monday for Victoria…this is such a milestone moment for our program, our athletic department and our university," said Prostran. "We're incredibly proud to represent them."
