It has been over a decade since the Varsity Blues men’s soccer team last advanced to the gold medal match. The Blues left no stone unturned and secured their ticket to the provincial final for the first time in 14 years.

On October 25, in front of a polarized crowd at Varsity Stadium, the fourth-seeded Blues knocked off the Waterloo Warriors in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) semifinals in a 2–0 shutout to send them to the OUA finals against the York Lions.

What happened?

The Warriors came out firing out of the gates with forward James Arango criss-crossing through his defender, firing a shot that Blues goalie Filip Zendelek caught. Forward Kyler Monterroso also launched a couple of kicks, only to be saved by Zendelek and blocked by U of T’s defence. Despite persistent efforts from the Warriors, Zendelek held his own between the posts, and the defence stood their ground, buying some time for the offence to execute. Midfielder Matthew Mills unleashed two corner kicks, with Zendelek grabbing the first one, while the defence delivered a header to the second. Arango again tried to make a move around the defence, but the Blues managed to thwart his shot attempt. 

14:39 minutes into the game, Blues forward Jordan Grey netted the first goal of the night from midfielder Russell Stewart’s corner kick to put the Blues ahead, 1–0. The two teams exchanged tirades, with their respective defences stifling each other’s best chances. 

In the 28th minute, the referees awarded Waterloo with a penalty kick in what was their most optimal opportunity of the night. Mills took the usual momentum-gaining steps as he booted the shot, but Zendelek made the most crucial save of the night to keep the Warriors scoreless.

Goalie Filip Zendelek kept a clean sheet for the Blues in their 2–0 win.
COURTESY OF ARU DAS CC VARSITY BLUES MEDIA

The Warriors entered the second half searching for their equalizer, while the Blues awaited the dagger. Waterloo pounced on every opportunity that they got, but Zendelek’s netminding and the Blues’ cognizant defence balked their chances. With additional time, Grey tallied his second goal of the night as he beat his defender on the way to burying the ball and bringing the final score to 2–0.

“It was very [motivating]. I didn’t play great last week, so I had the mindset of ‘What can I do to better support this team?’ And I’m happy to provide support for them tonight,” added Grey when asked about his mindset going into tonight’s match in a postgame interview with The Varsity.

What’s next?

“This means a lot for the team. I’m very happy that we won, and I want to provide them with their first nationals [in 37 years],” said Grey when asked about the importance of this win for the Blues’ program. 

When asked about the team’s preparation for the next game, Grey answered, “[The] same way we’ve always been doing. [It’s always] a hundred percent on everything. We never stay complacent. We’re always hard-working and do whatever we can to achieve our goal.” The Blues next played the York Lions in the OUA Championship on November 1.