On Nov. 2, 2024, the York Lions hosted the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks in the OUA men’s soccer final. The Lions secured home advantage after claiming the first seed in the West division. Meanwhile, Ontario Tech made a fairytale run to the finals by beating some of the top teams in the OUA like McMaster and UofT. York’s journey to the final was a surprise to no one; they defeated teams like Guelph and noisy neighbours the TMU Bold to reach this stage.
Reflecting on the Lions’ loss in last year’s final to the Carleton Ravens, Head Coach Carmine Isacco expresses respect for the Ridgebacks, stating: “The mentality is that we respect our opponents. We’ve seen them many times, [and] we know their capabilities. [The Ravens] scored five goals against UofT, which is a good team as well, so we’ll definitely understand that we need to be at our best and we’ll take the steps to ensure that we are at our best.”
Unfortunately, Isacco was suspended for the final due to receiving a red card in the women’s semi-final against Nippising. His presence was missed on the touchline as the Lions fell 2-1 to Ontario Tech thanks to a brace by Ridgebacks forward Erion Metaj. Despite Matthew Medeiros’ goal in the 73rd minute, the Lions could not find an equalizer, marking another heartbreaking final loss.
The following week, the Lions travelled to Oshawa for the U Sports National Soccer Championship hoping to bounce back from their OUA final defeat. They started the Championship strong by beating the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 2-1. Goals by Yigal Bruk and U Sports soccer player of the year, Christian Zeppieri, ensured their opening success. However, their celebration was short-lived. On day two of the championships, Nick Spittle’s opener was cancelled by goals from Julien Bruce and Quentin Paumier of the Montreal Carabins and the Lions fell 2-1.
The Lions did not leave Oshawa empty-handed, however; they clipped the wings off the McGill Redbirds by winning 3-1, courtesy of goals by Yigal Bruk, Gianluca Condello, and Christian Zeppieri.
Looking back at the season, the York Lions showed resilience and skill by making it to the podium in both the OUA and Nationals. Although they didn’t claim gold, there are many positive signs showing that a championship is still within reach.
