Jo-Horus Toutou leads men’s team to victory, women’s squad still searching for first win

Thursday night soccer at Centennial Park had mixed results for the George Brown Huskies. Playing host to the Seneca Sting, George Brown’s women’s team fell 6-1, followed by a 2-0 victory for the men’s side.

While the women’s game saw the first half ended at a reasonable 2-1, Seneca’s squad seized control in the second, ending the night with four different goal scorers.

Sting co-captain Andrea Runco set the tone for Seneca, scoring their first two goals and proving a dynamic menace for George Brown defenders. Despite the result, she still sees room for further growth.

“We have to definitely improve on some things, get a little bit quicker, get our fitness up,” said Runco. “Games like these are really important. Even though we won 6-1, we still have a lot more room to improve and we use these games as an improvement tool.”

After three goose eggs in three games, Huskies centre midfielder Effie Takas scored the team’s first goal of the season. She hopes that for their next match, they can avoid falling back as the game progresses.

“We should keep how we played the first half and continue it, the same pace, the same energy into the second half,” Takas said.

On the men’s side, Jo-Horus Toutou dazzled in his second game. The Huskies forward twice found the back of the net, and his constant offensive threat was key to George Brown’s third win in four games.

Defensive discipline became somewhat of an issue in the second half, forcing Huskies goalkeeper Aris Efstathiadis to make a brilliant over the bar save off a free kick, preserving the clean sheet.

Toutou’s talent on the field is clear, but he knows that he can’t rely on talent alone under coach John Williams, who helms both the men’s and women’s squads.

“If you don’t work hard, you’re not going to play,” said Toutou. “He pushes you hard to work your limit, and that’s what I love about him.”

On the men’s team, Williams sees the squad’s cohesiveness coming along nicely. As for the women’s side, experience will be key to quickening their pace and taking the next step.

“Because there’s not a lot of rep players, by the time they understand what they should do and where they should do it, they’re a little too late,” said Williams. “I think with them, it’s just going to take a little more time getting to know each other.”