Photo Courtesy / Jessica Lee

UTSC’s tri-campus men’s soccer team was ready for Halloween two weeks early this year.  Their costume: a remarkable Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The Scarborough camp squeaked by with a 1-0 victory on Oct. 17 over the St. George Reds on a day rightly called “Soccer Day in Scarborough.”

Despite being drastically outshot in the match’s early stages, UTSC rallied behind Daniel DeFusco’s rebound goal seconds before the half whistle, and didn’t relinquish their lead for the remainder of the bout.

DeFusco’s goal followed a nasty sliding tackle from a Reds defender.  The ensuing free kick from mere feet outside the box was a low screamer, which produced a generous rebound that DeFusco put away easily.

UTSC completely transformed following the goal, and carried the momentum into the second half, which they dominated entirely.

“We were lucky we didn’t get scored on in the first half,” said coach Anthony Morra. “But we moved the ball much better in the second [half]. They were probably lucky we didn’t score again in the second, we probably deserved more.”

The win saw UTSC overtake the Reds for top spot in the league, with a 2-0-1 record.  Morra is not surprised by the squad’s success this year.

“This is one of the best groups we’ve had skills-wise,” Morra said.  “We’ve had the same core group for three years, and now everybody’s gelled together as a team.”

The Oct. 17 game was one of the few chances UTSC’s soccer teams get to play in front of a sizeable crowd.  Soccer Day in Scarborough is organized by Morra himself, with help from the Department of Athletics and the Scarborough Campus Athletics Association (SCAA).  The SCAA treated the crowd to a free barbeque all day.

“We’re really glad to see these events finally picking up steam,” said Antonio Lombardi, SCAA rep.  “It’s been a good turnout.”

The event also saw the men’s UTSC Maroons tie with UTM 1-1, and the women’s A-Division team tromp Law/Meds 4-0.  The tri-campus game was followed by an alumni game.

(Photo gallery courtesy of Jessica Lee)