Gryphons earn top seed by winning first OUA title since 1990
The Guelph Gryphons men’s soccer team made history as they won their first OUA gold medal in 26 years. The title drought ended in stunning fashion on Sun, Nov. 6 as Guelph beat the York Lions for the first time since 2006.
York has won the OUA title for the last three consecutive years—they are also the two-time defending national champions. The Gryphons’ victory over the Lions has made history and Guelph will now head into hosting the U Sports national championship this week as the number one seed.
The first seed brings excitement, but also puts pressure on the backs of the Gryphons who have not qualified for a national championship since they last hosted the tournament in 1992.
Guelph will kick off their national title campaign on Thurs, Nov. 10 in a quarterfinal matchup against the eighth-seeded Acadia Axemen. The Axemen finished second in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoffs, and finished their regular season first in the standings with a 9-1-2 (win, loss, draw) record.
If the Gryphons, who have been underdogs all season, can thrive off the pressure of having targets slapped on their backs, they stand a chance of shocking the competition. Many assumed that Guelph would only qualify as the host school, but instead, they smashed expectations when they defeated York on Sunday.
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If Guelph defeats Acadia on Thursday night, they will play the winner of the University of British Columbia and l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) in a semi-final showdown on Sat, Nov. 12. If they lose, they will playoff in a consolation round on Friday.
The other teams who clinched spots to the elite eight-team tournament are the second-seeded Cape Breton Capers (AUS champions), number three Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champs), number four UQAM Citadins (Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec champs), number five UBC Thunderbirds (Canada West finalists), number six York Lions (OUA finalists) and the number seven Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA bronze medalists).
All games will be played at Alumni Stadium starting on Thurs, Nov. 10 and concluding with the national championship final on Sun, Nov. 13.