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Toronto FC Academy lift trophy

Toronto FC Academy complete invincible campaign with title win

By Ian Mailloux, 11/19/23, 11:30AM EST

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Golden Boot winner Matteo Correia scores early to spark 2-0 victory, despite shining performance from Sigma goalkeeper.

Toronto FC Academy lift trophy

Toronto FC Academy defeated Sigma 2-0 on Saturday at the Ontario Soccer Centre, completing an invincible season and claiming the Men’s U19 Fall Reserve Division title.

The East Conference champions aimed to set the pace from the start; an eighth-minute goal by the regular-season's top scorer Matteo Correia put the Reds up early, and it was an advantage they were seldom threatened to lose.

In fact, the scoreline surely would’ve been far greater if not for the goalkeeping heroics of Sigma’s Gierri Crecco, who produced numerous diving saves to keep his side in the game and with the chance to level the score.

One especial save came just before half-time, with Tristan Pusztahegyi breaking down the left wing towards goal. He fired the ball low to the far post, but Crecco dove to his left to parry the ball away and preserve the one-goal lead going into the break.

Any comeback attempt was thwarted in the 70th minute as a low cross from TFC Academy’s Luca Accettola deflected off Sigma defender Matea Kovacevic and into the goal.

The own goal deflated Sigma spirits with them failing to muster much of an attack for the remainder of the second half.

Meanwhile for the Reds, the victory capped a perfect season. They scored 70 goals enroute to 12 wins from as many matches played, with only nine goals conceded, and then won 3-0 in their playoff semifinal against Scrosoppi. Sigma, to their credit, finished just five points behind in the table with their only loss coming by the very team that would lift the trophy.