By Tristan Forde
The TMU Bold Men’s soccer team won 2-0 against the Nipissing Lakers in their final regular season game at Downsview Park on Sunday afternoon
With this win, the Bold earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of a matchup between the Carleton Ravens and Laurentian Voyageurs. They enter the playoff season with a second-place ranking in the OUA East division.
“Taking it game by game is a huge thing. Staying humble with the team and practicing hard and playing hard as a team, I think that’s the one mentality that [we] have to have,” said third-year goalkeeper Dante Ferraro.
With gloomy skies overhead and cold temperatures, every player did the best they could to stay warm. The Lakers started the game with the kick-off but the Bold quickly intercepted and regained possession. The Lakers’ defence pressed forward and intercepted, tapping the ball out of bounds.
A collision happened between Ferraro and first-year midfielder Michael Campoli in the third minute of play. Ferraro was on the ground and the Bold’s athletic therapist came over for support.
Going into the 11th minute, the Bold gained control of the ball and managed a good drive all the way up the field. First-year defender Aidan Hugo made the first attempt on the goal but was blocked by first-year Lakers goalkeeper Liam Janicki-Zeballos. Immediately after, fifth-year Bold midfielder Chris Campoli took a shot on the goal but Janicki-Zeballos saved it yet again.
At the start of the 13th minute, Lakers second-year defender Chanley Francois fouled Hugo, turning the ball over to the Bold. On the ensuing free kick, Hugo kicked the ball toward the lower corner of the net but Janicki-Zeballos managed to block the shot once again.
Campoli tripped and fell in the 14th minute and took a yellow card for simulation. With the ball turned over to the Lakers, the visitors applied quick pressure to the Bold’s half of the field. They broke past the Bold defences but a combined effort between third-year defender Luca Porfiris and fifth-year defender Colin Gander put a stop to the Lakers’ advance.
In the 28th minute, after the ball was tapped out of bounds by the Lakers, the Bold used that ticket to make a great push towards the Lakers net. Third-year forward Jevontae Layne led the charge but was slide-tackled by third-year Lakers midfielder Alexander Domingos just outside of the penalty box, narrowly avoiding handing the Bold a penalty kick. Campoli took the free kick and fired the ball past the defenders and right into Janicki-Zeballos.
While the Lakers’ keeper made several key saves, Ferraro led with his play and his leadership from the back. Throughout the game, Ferraro’s voice could be heard echoing across the whole pitch, organizing both the Bold’s defence and offence.
“I just have to lead by example. If they see one person rallying everyone up, it’s gonna be a domino effect and everyone is gonna get a domino effect,” said Ferraro.
In the 29th minute, he got his chance to make a big play. A Lakers’ push-up to the Bold net ended with a tap out from the Bold, turning possession back to the Lakers. They immediately made an attempt on the net. Domingos took a shot at the top left corner, but Ferraro managed to get a hand on the ball and blocked the shot.
“Making that save, I feel like it brought a lot of momentum to the team,” said Ferraro.
The Lakers made their corner kick but Ferraro caught the ball shutting down the Lakers’ chance at an offence and kickstarted the Bold assault.
After a collision between Hugo and second-year Lakers midfielder Yousof Hamid in the 42nd minute, the referee showed Hamid his second yellow card of the game and consequently a red card. He stormed off the field in frustration. This setback for the Lakers gave the Bold the momentum they needed to take control of the game.
“The first half [the Nipissing Lakers] were excellent… the red card changed everything,” said Bold head coach Filip Prostran.
This proved to be just enough of a boost for the Bold to score the first goal of the game in the 45th minute. Gande passed the ball across which opened up Layne for a tap-in. The Bold left the first half with a 1-0 lead.
The second half started with strong pressure from the Bold. By the 49th minute, TMU pushed the Lakers onto their back heels but Janicki-Zeballos acted as the last line of defence, putting a stop to yet another attack.
By the 50th minute, under Ferraro’s guidance, the Bold slowed the game down to take control of the speed of the game. They cycled the ball around the Lakers players, tiring them out and keeping them moving.
Consequently, Layne doubled his input in the 54th minute. The Bold forward slipped past the Lakers and tapped another easy-looking goal into the net, earning his brace and doubling the Bold’s lead.
TMU carried most of the momentum in the second half but around the 60th minute, the Lakers managed to slip through and make an attempt on the Bold net. In what would be their last great chance of the game, the Lakers missed high.
Throughout the rest of the game, Bold kept up their defence and forced the Lakers out. With a final score of 2-0, TMU enters the playoff season with an 8-1-3 record and an unbeaten streak of 10 games.
“[We] wanna hoist the banner, you wanna hoist two ideally, even the year we went to nationals and finished fifth, it was a good accomplishment for me it wasn’t enough it’s never enough until you hoist both banners,” said Prostran.
UP NEXT: The TMU Bold men’s soccer team return to Downsview Park for the OUA playoff quarter-finals game on Oct. 23. Kick-off is yet to be determined.