OSHAWA, ONT. — The No. 8 nationally-ranked Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's soccer team tied with the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Sunday evening, 1-1 at Vaso's Field.
Both teams utilized their benches to start, choosing to rest some of their starters after playing matches just a day earlier. The Bold snagged a 2-1 win against their city rivals, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday afternoon, whereas the Ridgebacks fell 0-4 to the Trent Excalibur.
Despite the short recovery time, Head Coach
Filip Prostran was confident in his group's deep rotation:
"I'm going to have to go deep into the squad, and this year we have a really deep team."
But, much like in their match against Toronto, TMU found themselves down early.
Ridgebacks midfielder Christian Krzyzanowski snuck the ball into the top-left corner on a distance shot during just the third minute, forcing the Bold to battle from behind.
Even with the deficit, TMU stayed patient on offence for most of the first half while waiting for their chance to strike. They played the ball around the outside with short passes and took advantage once they found openings: new Bold recruit
Exosse Kadiebue just narrowly missed a power shot on the left side in the 26th minute, and midfielders
Darius Kerr-Cooper and
Aidan Hugo nearly scored on a well-placed cross just a few moments later.
Despite the offence looking strong, though, TMU wasn't able to find the back of the net as they entered halftime down 0-1.
At the start of the second half, the Bold subbed in midfielder Taha Illyas, who started the match on the bench after sporting the captain's patch against the Varsity Blues. Ilyass wasted no time, firing a drive from well beyond the top of the box that sailed straight into the net to tie things up at 1-1.
The Chang School student boasts experience in the Ontario Premier League, having most recently suited up for Hamilton United. His veteran leadership was put on display on Sunday, putting the team on his back to help TMU regain some much-needed momentum in the second half.
That momentum drove the Bold to a much more aggressive approach as the match continued. Prostran's squad put together a rally of six shots on goal in the span of just seven minutes, challenging the Ontario Tech defence and taking inspiration from Ilyass' heroics.
Things got chippy as the 90th minute approached and the pressure of the tied match continued to build. Multiple fouls were given out on both sides, and Kerr-Cooper received two yellow cards that caused his ejection during added time.
That extra physicality didn't result in any change in the score, though and the final whistle blew with the teams even at 1-1.
The tie earns both teams one point in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) standings, where TMU currently leads the East Division with a record of 1-0-1 on the season. Ontario Tech sits in sixth at 0-1-1.
The Bold now have five days of well-earned rest before stepping onto the pitch at Downsview Park in Toronto for their home opener against the Nipissing Lakers on September 5. Start time is set for 2:15 p.m.
