Men's Soccer | 10/7/2026 8:00:00 PM
Christian Zeppieri was barely pre-school age when he stepped onto a pitch for the first time.
In the two decades since he started playing house league at age three, the game has taken him to places – and heights – no toddler could have ever predicted.
A native of Maple, Ont., Zeppieri joined the Vaughan Soccer Club at age five and immediately began competing with kids a year older. After nearly 10 years of development with the club, he joined the Toronto FC Academy at 14, where he trained for four years leading up to the pandemic.
After the 2020 Generation Adidas Cup was cancelled due to COVID-19, Zeppieri set his sights overseas. After spending time in the Netherlands and Italy, training with several programs, he finally secured a contract in Italy, his country of descent.
"I was a little timid at that age," he recalled of his time in Italy. "Even being Italian, it just didn't feel comfortable, but getting my feet wet and experiencing what life is like in Europe really helped further my development."
Following his time in Europe, Zeppieri returned home and chose to continue his education, enrolling in York in 2023.
"It's gone really well, so far," Zeppieri said with a chuckle, downplaying his success with a level of humility that makes him who he is.
That, however, would be putting it lightly.
Since joining the Lions in 2023, the 23-year-old midfielder has earned three consecutive OUA West MVP's titles, three straight York men's athlete of the year awards and was named the 2024 U SPORTS Player of the Year. Adding to that list, he has also been named an OUA first team all-star and U SPORTS first time all-Canadian in each of his three years.
"I've known Carm since I was five years old," Zeppieri said of his relationship with Lions head coach Carmine Isacco, who has also had a longstanding affiliation with the Vaughan Soccer Club. "I would attribute all my success to the competitive standard (he and the club set) at a young age, the coaching staff there and the success they've had in producing top talent."
When choosing his university path, he spoke with Isacco and Lions associate coach Luca Forno, who he has also known much of his life, and was drawn to the opportunity to play for a top program.
"What was really appealing was the success they've had," Zeppieri said, speaking of Isacco and Forno. "I've seen what they've done, and I love them to death as coaches."
"It's close to home for me, we have easily the best stadium in the OUA and I've had friends that have gone here. I also had Carm and Luca telling me, 'Trust me, you're going to be looked at here,' and fortunately, they were right."
Zeppieri was drafted fifth overall by then-York United FC (now Inter Toronto FC) in the 2024 CPL–U SPORTS Draft. He signed a U SPORTS contract – allowing him to maintain his university eligibility – and played eight games during the 2024 season. He chose to return to York to play after some administrative turnover with the CPL club but signed a second U SPORTS contract with the club for 2025.
Zeppieri credits his time in the CPL with accelerating his development. The daily demands of a professional environment provided valuable preparation for his second season at York. "It was necessary for me to experience that because it grew my game leaps and bounds," he said. "Putting in that extra work every day was different from a university environment."
His hard work paid off. In his second year with the Lions, Zeppieri led the OUA and tied for the U SPORTS lead with 17 points, including nine goals, en route to a second consecutive OUA MVP and a U SPORTS player of the year award. He also helped the Lions capture their first national medal in nine years, a bronze, in Oshawa.
Over his second and third seasons, the midfielder found himself playing an instrumental role within a program that was growing in both confidence and perspective as they began to understand what it would take to content for a national championship.
"We knew the team had a lot more to give." The midfielder said sharing the team's mindset heading into that bronze game. "We went in hungry and came out on top." The Lions eventually bested the McGill Redbirds 3-1, with the insurance goal being scored by Zeppieri himself in the 57th minute.
As meaningful as that moment was, he would outdo himself 12 months later.
After exacting some revenge on the Montreal Carabins with a 2-0 win in the national semi-final after losing to them at the same stage a year earlier, the Lions advanced to their first U SPORTS final in 10 years. The only thing standing in their way of their first national title in a decade were the Mount Royal Cougars.
Oh, and a blizzard.
The teams trudged through the heaping snow through a scoreless 90, after Zepperi was robbed on a penalty in the 58th minute. However, he would get a second chance deep into the second period of extra time, and this time, he made no mistake.
That, his fourth goal of the tournament, solidified his grasp on the Championship MVP award while simultaneously etching his name (even further) into the York's men's soccer history books.
"That was probably the hardest moment of my life," Zeppieri said of stepping to the spot to take the penalty in extra time. "As soon as it went in, and as soon as the final whistle blew - there may never be another moment in my life that I'll feel that emotion.
"Celebrating with your teammates, in the snow, me sliding, hugging your coaches and just saying, 'We did it, we finally did it,' there will never be another feeling like that."
While soccer has always been a priority, Zeppieri has also remained focused on his future off the field. With a longstanding interest in business, he initially earned admission to York's Schulich School of Business but put those plans on hold while he pursued soccer in Europe. Upon returning home, he enrolled in Commerce and has chosen to specialize in accounting.
"I have no complaints; it's been great." When asked about his academic experience so far. " "Taking programs you want to take, learning things you want to learn and are excited to learn about, is a great experience."
When asked about campus life, he is quick to praise his experience at York.
"It's very underrated," he said. "It's a very nice campus, the buildings are beautiful, we offer great programs, and every teacher I've had has been fantastic.
"There's a lot of student life here, a lot of things (offered) outside academics with clubs and activities you can do on and off campus - you get a bit of everything. I haven't had a bad experience here, and I have nothing but positives to say about this place."
As for Zeppieri's plans moving forward, he has one goal in mind for the short term.
"We want to lift the OUA title," he said, convincingly, as York looks for their first conference banner since 2018. "With how the season has started, we feel we're more than capable of doing it."
The Lions soccer teams return to the pitch Friday, October 9th when they play host to the visiting Brock Badgers, and celebrate their graduating athletes, in their final regular season home game. All the action starts at with the women's game at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Zeppieri and the rest of the men's squad at 8:15 p.m. You can get your tickets at yorkulions.ca/tickets, or watch the game live and free of charge on OUA TV.
