The Varsity Blues men’s soccer team prevailed 2–1 in the OUA quarter-final against the Queen’s Gaels on Saturday at Varsity Stadium.
The game was marked not just by the tension on the field, but by the tension in the stands between the opposing supporters.
The first goal was scored by Gaels centre back Joseph Zupo just over 30 minutes in, and the game remained heated at 1–0 for Queen’s until late in the second half.
When a breakaway by Queen’s was foiled by Blues goalkeeper John Smits, a Blues fan called out, “You guys can’t even score on a breakaway? You suck, Queen’s! I hear your boys don’t even score in real life!”
“What’s the score of the game right now, jackass?” shouted back a Queen’s fan.
At the 85-minute-mark, Blues striker Nordo Gooden tied the game up. With five minutes remaining, supporters in the stands were on edge.
As the clock counted down the last seconds, the Blues made one final dash for the net.
The ball slipped through the fingers of goalie Maxfield Materne, and as the Gaels scrambled to deflect the shot, defender Matt Kenny was penalized for a handball.
The referee blew the whislte and the play stopped. Spectators realized what was going on and became raucous.
The din of the Blues supporters and Queen’s supporters was unintelligible as the Blues leading scorer, Alex Raphael, went up to take the penalty kick.
Raphael shot the ball deep into the bottom left corner of the net, making it 2–1, and sending the Blues to the OUA Final Four tournament, where they will play a semi-final match against the Western Mustangs.
Queen’s fans were livid.
Leaning over the edge of the railing, one yelled angrily, “You’d better be damn sure of that call, ref! I hope you don’t sleep for a week!”
The handball:
