Men's Soccer | 10/31/2025 5:00:00 PM
The biggest sporting event in the city of Toronto this weekend will be played at.... Varsity Stadium.
Alright, alright, maybe not the biggest – but definitely a big one.
It will see the York University Lions men's soccer team make the trip down to the home of the Varsity Blues for the OUA championship, with the Lions making their third straight appearance in the big game, while the Blues making their first trip to the OUA final since 2011.
While geography might suggest an extensive history between these two sides, being in separate divisions means they haven't met in the regular season since 2005, and have only faced off nine times since 2008. This is the first OUA title game played between the two teams since 2010, a game the Lions dropped in penalties. Overall, York is 7-2 against Toronto since their last regular season duel two decades ago, including one U SPORTS (then CIS) national championship win over the Blues, a 4-1 victory in the 2016 consolation semi-final.
The last time the two teams faced off was the 2021 OUA quarter-final at Alumni Field, a 1-0 Lions win which served as the catalyst for a trip to the final. Now, four years later, the teams renew hostilities down the subway line at the iconic Varsity Stadium with an OUA banner – and a top four seed at the U SPORTS championships next weekend in the same building – on the line.
It's fitting that the top two teams in the OUA will square off for a chance at glory. The Blues won the East division and had the best record in the OUA – and thus homefield advantage in this game – with an 10-1-1 record, finishing just two points ahead of the Lions, who went 9-1-2. It will be a star-studded match, to be sure, with the teams combing for 14 all-star nominations and performance-based major awards, including both rookies of the year and seven first team-all stars. The headliner among them, though, is now-three-time OUA West MVP Christian Zeppieri, who Thursday became the first player in OUA history to win the ever win the award three times, of course making him the first to ever do it consecutively.
Zeppieri, for as good as he was, didn't even lead the team in goals. That honour belonged to fellow first team all-star Anthony Morano, who scored nine times, to Zeppieri's eight. As the Lions gun for their first OUA title since 2019, those two will obviously be imperative in the Lions success in this game and beyond. However, what shapes the Lions even moreso than their top-end talent – which is elite – is their depth. The likes of OUA West rookie of the year Marco Sciortino, Yigal Bruk, who scored twice in the Lions OUA quarter-final win over McMaster, and others, are capable of helping this team offensively. In a one-game, winner-take-all showdown, it's often someone you least expect making the biggest impact. That could bode well for York in this one.
However, if the all-star contingent is indicative of anything, it's that goals could be hard to come by in this one, even with the offensive firepower these two teams possess. Both Lions keeper Michael Williams and his Varsity Blues counterpart Filip Zendelek – a former Lion – were named their respective division's first team all-star netminders in 2025. The most impressive part of that is both did so while each getting their first true chance to play at the university level. Williams came to York after not seeing action at Utah Tech last season, while Zendelek transferred to Toronto after being sparingly used in his time with the Lions.
That in mind, it presents the age old question: what gives? Will the two most high-powered offences in the OUA come to play? Or will the two best netminders in the province show their worth on the conference's biggest stage?
Come find out Saturday at Varsity Stadium, or tune in on OUA TV. Kickoff is slated for 4:00 pm
