On Sunday, the UTM men’s Division One soccer team faced Skule, U of T’s engineering school, in a quarterfinal match on UTM’s North Field. At four degrees Celsius, the air was chilly, but both teams had to suffer since the rules allow them to wear only gloves, not toques.
Skule arrived on the field around 10:45 a.m. for the 11:00 start. The Eagles were already warming up. The late arrivals were allowed a brief 15-minute warm-up, and the match started on time.
UTM took control of the game right away, making good passes and keeping the ball in Skule’s zone. In the first few minutes, the Eagles’ team captain, Kevin Teelucksingh, kicked the ball into the net off a pass from teammate Zack Cassar.
UTM had a number of scoring opportunities in the rest of the half, but their shots were stopped by the goalie or went soaring over the net.
Skule scored a goal before the first half was over. The defence in front of UTM’s net was a scrappy mess, and Murilo Goneoloes of Skule scored a goal for his team.
The second half of the game was intense, with both teams gunning for a spot in the semifinals. The crowd was awed by UTM’s Daniel Sepasi’s beautiful shot at the net, which hit the post. There were three cards given out for unsportsmanlike conduct.
A few minutes afterwards, the linesman gave Skule a goal kick, which UTM argued should have been a corner kick. Nolan Anderson of UTM was penalized for yelling at the linesman; he got a red card for foul and abusive language towards an official and was asked to leave the game.
The second half ended with the score still tied at one apiece. The teams were given five minutes to strategize, and then they played for another 10 minutes until a goal was scored. Kevin Teelucksingh was the hero of the game when he headed the ball into the net after the ball was crossed by teammate Ross Ramsay.
“I felt confident going into the game, because our team has really come together in the second half of the season,” said Teelucksingh after the game. “I knew if we played like we could, we’d win.”
