TORONTO — The No. 8 nationally-ranked Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team defeated the No. 3 ranked University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday afternoon, 2-1 at Varsity Stadium.
The Varsity Blues got things started early, as forward Niklas Hallam took advantage of a man advantage in transition and tapped in a bottom-right corner goal to earn a 1-0 lead in just the 13th minute.
An acrobatic save from Bold goalkeeper
Dante Ferraro saved the blue and gold from an even larger deficit just a few minutes later.
TMU maintained their aggression, though, pressuring Toronto's defence with well-placed crosses and generating some open looks which helped regain momentum.
That aggression paid off just before the end of the first half, when a pair of new Bold recruits collaborated on a goal to tie the match at 1-1.
George Brown transfer
Darius Kerr-Cooper put the ball in play around the net, where it fell into perfect position for Humber Polytechnic transfer
Tyler Yasaka for a clean finish. Yasaka, who won the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Championship in 2025, celebrated his first regular-season goal for TMU with an impressive front flip.
"One of many to come," said Yasaka with a grin when asked about the celebration post-game.
"This is my first game with TMU, and I love the team," he added, "I love the effort that we put in."
But the Bold weren't done yet: in the added minutes of the half, Kerr-Cooper received a pass over 20 yards out from the goal. The distance didn't phase him, as he curved a beautiful ball around multiple Varsity Blue defenders to land in the top-right corner for an early shot of the year candidate. His celebration featured a wry smirk and point at the broadcast camera.
Kerr-Cooper kept it humble when asked about the highlight: "The ball just bounced to the edge of the box and I took a hit, and it was a good hit. I'm just doing it for my team–we had to pull this one through."
TMU stormed into halftime with a 2-1 lead and all the momentum they could ever need.
Bold Head Coach
Filip Prostran, entering his 11th year with the team, was impressed by Yasaka and Kerr-Cooper's debuts.
"All preseason, they've been great, putting the work in, and you can see what they can do with a little bit of space and a moment there. So, obviously really pleased that they could take care of it–and not just them, but the whole group," he praised.
While the Varsity Blues continued to try to push the pace and sneak in some transition goals to tie things up in the second half, the Bold stayed rock solid defensively. Ferraro awed the crowd with multiple diving saves to help maintain the lead.
After 6 minutes of added time, the final whistle sounded and the Bold secured a 1-0 start to their season with a 2-1 win; their first against Toronto since 2024.
"This is, for me, the best rivalry in the OUA," said Prostran, "last year we played [at Varsity Stadium], we lost 0-1, and they were the better side. This year, we were the better side, and won. But no matter the teams, the games are always close between us."
TMU don't have long to rest for their next match, as they travel to Oshawa to take on the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks tomorrow evening at Vaso's Field.
"I think the two biggest factors [in recovery] are hydration and getting to bed early," Prostran said, "so hopefully we can sleep it off a little bit–the game is tomorrow evening, which gives us a few more hours vs. a 3:00 game, but I'm going to have to go deep into the squad, and this year we have a really deep team."
"We've got a really deep team this year, and we can make a lot of rotations…we've got a great coaching staff and great players," added Kerr-Cooper.
Start time is set for 7:00 p.m., and students can watch live on OUA.tv.
