University of Toronto men’s soccer head coach Anthony Capotosto knew that it was going to be a difficult game. The Ontario University Athletics semifinals saw the young Blues go up against the defending OUA champions York Lions, who are widely regarded as contenders for the national title.
The Lions were ranked first in the country until a scandal broke in early October, revealing a failure to disclose that one of their players was in the lineup for Toronto FC. As a result, their rating was brought down from #1 to #9. Yet York was still the team to beat with six players later named all-stars, including MVP Francesco Bruno. The Blues devoted much of their effort to finding a way around the intimidating Lions.
“[The York game] was one that we had prepared for all week and prepared for very diligently,” said Coach Capotosto.
As the game got underway, Toronto’s preparation appeared to have paid off as the team held on while York looked for an early lead. Veteran Blues goalkeeper Luciano Lombardi came up with a big save twelve minutes into the half, shortly after all-star midfielder Mario Nallira got the first shot on goal for the Blues. In the stands, the Toronto crowd came out in full-force, outnumbering the small and quiet York contingent. But the Lions kept their composure, creating more offensive opportunities—the most promising of which came late in the half when Bruno struck the ball off the left upright. The Toronto defence lived up to their reputation as the best in the OUA, keeping the game scoreless throughout the first half.
In the second half, the defending champs came on strong when a corner kick by Bruno was headed in by York defender Jamaal Smith, who had come up field for the play. While the Lions pushed relentlessly for a deal-sealer, the Blues didn’t let up, despite few offensive opportunities. When York all-star striker Adrian Pena got inside the Blues box in the 59th minute, Lombardi and Toronto captain Dustin Chung made short order of the threat. Despite the belief that York dominated this half, the play was not entirely one-sided. The Blues employed a strategy used against offensive teams like Carleton—stopping the ball in the back and feeding it quickly down the wing channels, where they’ve found recent success with young players like Geoffrey Borgmann and Kilian Elkinson.
The Blues’ defensive strategies worked until late in the second half when the officiators made the first of several controversial calls. In the 82nd minute, Lombardi was called for bringing down York right-winger Jarek Whiteman, and a potential game-deciding penalty-kick was awarded to the Lions. Bruno took the kick but missed the net completely, echoing David Beckham in the famous 2004 European Cup quarterfinal against Portugal. Lombardi anticipated it perfectly by diving to the left, ensuring that even if it had been on target, he probably would have blocked the shot.
Toronto was awarded a free-kick when a York player mysteriously fell backwards after stepping in towards Toronto rookie Dylan Bams. Elkinson sent a high ball directly to Dustin Chung, who headed the ball in, giving Toronto a fighting chance. The Toronto fans erupted in cheers as a York player appeared to touch the ball in the York box, which would give the Blues a penalty-kick and a chance to finish the game. The officials weren’t about to let the nail-biter end in a penalty-kick for the visiting team. With the Blues energized after the upswing in their offensive fortunes, they sought to put the game away in the final minutes and committed to finding a second goal. The Lions set up a bold three-man counterattack in the 90th minute, when most of the Blues were still up field. With clutch passing, midfielder Douglas Sereti set up Jarek Whiteman in the middle, who put the ball past Lombardi and finished the game for York.
“We went into the game wanting to come off the field with no regrets and we did that,” said Coach Capotosto. For the most part, the game was evenly matched—a testament to the Blues’ extensive preparation, their ability to objectively evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and to adjust to what many said was a superior team.
The Blues’ season came to an end on Sunday with a 3-0 loss to the Carleton Ravens, currently ranked #1 in Canada. The Blues were the only team to beat Carleton this year, prior to their semi-final loss against the Laurier Golden Hawks. Before losing to the Blues, the Ravens had enjoyed an astounding 32-game winning streak in the East.
“The win over Carleton was the turning point for the team,” said Chung. “That’s when we really started believing in ourselves and saying ‘You know what, we can make it to the final four.’”
U of T soccer fans were rarely disappointed this season, as the team lost only one game (and later avenged that loss). Their performance was honoured with five OUA all-stars: defender Yannis Gianniotis, defender and team captain Dustin Chung, midfielder Mario Nallira, striker Niko Pesa, and midfielder Lawrence Buchan. In addition, Nordo Gooden picked up the Community Service Award for his local coaching work.
“The whole season has been unbelievable. In my five years, this has probably been the best one so far. We’ve just been the tightest team,” said goalkeeper Lombardi. “It’s great in the [locker] room. We all get along and it’s just unbelievable.”
“What really made the difference was the preparation in training sessions,” explained Chung. “Our [strength and conditioning] trainer Yuri [Elkaim] had us in top shape all season and [Coach Capotosto] prepared us from top to bottom, from goalkeeping to defense to midfield to the strikers. The main story of the season though would have to be our young players like Dylan Bams, Kilian Elkinson, and a lot of these guys that have come in and put in the work.”
Coach Capotosto added praise for the newcomers: “A lot of the first-year players stepped up and did a great job for us. I think we have a very bright future here with this program and these players.”
“I thought it was just a phenomenal season,” said Chung. “With so many young guys on this team who are eager and willing to learn, things are looking good for next year.”
