Snow Scandal Strikes UTM Soccer
Eagles women’s soccer furious as they were forced to play the final under freezing conditions.
The final of the women’s tri-campus league went ahead on Sunday, November 9, despite an unexpected 5 inches of snow. Our Eagles were up against the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) at Valley Fields.
The Eagles made it to the pitch 30 minutes late due to the heavy snowfall early in the afternoon, causing major slowdowns on the highway. The traffic delay went unaccounted for by the UTSC Sports and Recreation staff and match officials, who demanded compensation if they were to award the Eagles 30 minutes to warm up. The field conditions were not doing either team any favours heading into the match. The UTSC staff made zero attempt to remove excess snow or ensure that the sidelines were visible—safety precautions that were taken in the men’s final at UTM hours later.
The frigid conditions did not stop UTM from taking to the field. “Our love for the game and our appreciation for the opportunity to compete in this league kept us motivated to continue regardless of the conditions,” one UTM player commented.
UTSC struck first in the match, with Jordan Pawlowski tying the game for the Eagles with a powerful penalty shot. With the game tied at 1-1 heading into the halftime break and with snow continuing to make the field even more unplayable, the officiating team had the opportunity to rectify their mistake by stopping the match and rescheduling for a later date. But seemingly no amount of snow was going to change their minds, and the game continued after 15 minutes.
Officiating continued to be a major issue for the Eagles in the second half as they had three players sent off for wearing earrings, despite a pre-game equipment check that cleared them to play. The Eagles were forced to continue playing down players, eventually conceding while their teammates were forced to watch on the sidelines after not being allowed to rejoin the match.
UTSC went on to score two goals, with a late consolation goal for the Eagles coming from Amelia Caron. The game finished 3-2 to UTSC, who lifted the trophy in obscene circumstances.
The UTM players and staff expressed their frustration of UTSC’s handling of the situation to UTM staff in a letter signed by the team: “Our biggest concern is in regards to our physical safety, considering exposure to the weather conditions. Playing in a windchill of -5° C with now accumulating at 3 cm an hour was unsafe and unnecessary, and not conducive to playing a quality soccer game.”
The Eagles goalkeeper was perhaps the most notable victim of the brutal decision-making and negligence by the Sports and Recreation staff at UTSC. “Our goalkeeper experienced thermal shock. Our goalie stood with the wind behind her, and ice was persistently blown into the back of her neck for all 45 minutes of the first half, making excellent saves despite having to dive through the snow. At halftime, when warming up in the shed, she experienced dizziness, nausea, and shortness of breath and was unable to continue playing.”
Men’s Game Postponed in Mississauga
The men also laced up their boots two hours later to play their final against UTSG (Red) in UTM’s South Field. Play was halted after just eight minutes with UTSG Red up 1-0 after a UTM defender slipped on the snow and put the Red’s striker through on goal. The referee deemed the conditions unplayable despite the efforts made by UTM RAWC staff to clear the pitch. The inconsistency between campus staff’s decisions for the men’s and women’s finals call into question why the matches failed to be given the same consideration.
CPL Proves it Can be Done, but with the Right Resources
Although the weather conditions did make playing a soccer match seemingly unreasonable, the Canadian Premier League (CPL) did not get in the way of a Canadian Classic. And it’s a good thing too, because this match birthed one of the most iconic moments in Canadian soccer history, the icicle kick.
Atlético Ottawa faced off against Calvary FC in the final at 5:00 pm on Sunday. The field had been shovelled and scraped top to bottom hours before the match to ensure the pitch was suitable for the players. Both sides were also heated up during halftime. These resources and facilities allow matches like these to be played. Without them, sports and recreation staff put the players at risk of injury and sickness—something that the UTM staff acknowledged but unfortunately for the women’s team, UTSC did not.
