Gryphons overcome adversity after heartbreaking semi-final loss
The last time the Gryphons’ men’s soccer team competed at the national championships was 24 years ago. The last time they won a medal at nationals was 26 years ago. The last time they won an OUA championship was also 26 years ago. Now, the Gryphons have made history by winning the bronze medal on home turf in the U Sports national championship on Sun, Nov. 13.
The stage was set as the Gryphons began their national journey on Thurs, Nov. 10. After winning the OUA title, the Gryphons arrived at nationals as the number one seeded team in the country.Hosting their first nationals since their last appearance in 1992, Guelph faced a quarterfinal matchup against the Acadia Axeman, another team making a reappearance at nationals for the first time in over a decade.
The Gryphons came into the game with energy and it wasn’t long before first-year centre midfielder Alexander Zis netted a beautiful free kick to make it 1-0 for Guelph. Acadia responded 20 minutes later, tying the game 1-1 at halftime. In the 53rd minute of the game, Jace Kotsopoulos gave the Gryphons the 2-1 lead, only to have Acadia tie it up once more only three minutes later.
The game sat at 2-2 for the remainder, forcing the contest to go into extra time. After 120 minutes of play, the Gryphons and the Axemen were still locked. A penalty shootout ensued and the Gryphons stepped up to the spot first scoring on the Axemen. Gryphons’ keeper Ben Caranci made the difference as he made a phenomenal save on Acadia’s Ryan Parris to give Guelph the advantage.
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The energy was electric as the Gryphons stepped up for their final shot. Second-year midfielder Chris Jacovou sent Guelph into the national semi-final with his perfectly placed penalty kick. This win made the Gryphons the highest-placed team from Ontario as both Toronto and York failed to advance to the top four.
Coming off a dramatic win, the Gryphons had a day off to re-focus before their semi-final match up against a gritty Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) team. The match kicked-off in front of a packed crowd and the story turned bad for the Gryphons almost immediately. A mistake in the first two minutes led to an indirect free kick in the Guelph box for the UQAM Citadins who made no error in nailing it into the top corner to take the lead 1-0 over Guelph.
A few minutes later, UQAM was back at it again. A perfectly placed cross to a beautiful volley gave them a 2-0 lead as the Gryphons looked shell-shocked.
The shocking start did not last long, however, as Guelph began to gain some control. Only three minutes after the Citadins second goal, a corner from the Gryphons found the head of outstanding second-year striker Tomasz Skublak.
This goal appeared to re-energize the Gryphons as the game shifted into their favour.Moving the ball efficiently around the field, Guelph had UQAM on their back heel as they pressed higher into their half. The hard work paid off as they won another corner with a few minutes left in the first half. Another beautifully placed ball landed this time on the head of Josh Seguin who made no mistakes in heading it home. At halftime, the Gryphons had erased the early deficit to make the game tied at 2-2.
The second half was an entirely different match for both teams as the game turned rough and neither team appeared to want to go forward. A moment of hesitation from the Gryphon defense in the 80th minute saw the ball drop to the feet of the UQAM forward off a long throw-in who sent it into the top right corner. Despite Guelph’s best effort to press for a goal all the way until the final whistle, UQAM walked away with a 3-2 victory, ending the Gryphons dreams of a national title.
The devastation was clear across the faces of the young Gryphon team. However, with one more game to play for the national bronze medal, the team needed to regroup and come out firing. On Sun, Nov. 13, the Gryphons faced a battle against the Cape Breton Capers.
The match started slowly as neither team appeared as though they really wanted to be there. However, once the game got into full swing, it became apparent that the Gryphons desperately wanted this win. Alexander Zis opened the scoring with a perfectly placed free kick that curled into the bottom left corner of the goal just before halftime.
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In the second half, the game was all Guelph’s. Zis netted his second goal in the 50th minute, giving the Gryphons a comfortable 2-0 lead. Although the Capers kept pressing, the game was always Guelph’s to win. Their third and final goal came in the 85th minute from Jacovou who slotted a rebound that came off the post to win the game 3-0.
A bronze medal may not have been the colour that the Gryphons wanted, but this team has made history and could be the catalyst for future national medals yet to come. A podium finish in their first national championship in 24 years is a tremendous feat and there is nothing but good things for this team in the coming years.
“They’ve got an abundance of character, they’re fantastic young men,” said head coach Keith Mason after the game. “They’ve performed admirably all week and all season. […] We did what we’ve done all season—we scored three goals.”
The Gryphons will be graduating two players who, according to Mason, have led the way through their entire Gryphon careers.
“Ethan Danielli and Justin Springer—they’re what started the revolution. When they came, we were trying to make playoffs, when they’re leaving, we’re winning Ontario championships and a bronze medal at nationals. It’s a fantastic send-off. They’ve had five fabulous years and they’ve led the whole way. They’ve been great ambassadors for the Gryphons and I’m really happy for them that they finished on such a high note,” said Mason.
For fifth-year captain Justin Springer, the finish was bittersweet but rewarding.
“Getting a national medal and leaving here on a victory is always a great thing to do,” said Springer. “It’s definitely something that we worked hard for over the past five years and over the course of this year, so it’s nice to get rewarded for such a great season.”
“Only having two graduating players this season, a lot of our starting line-up is a mixture of first, second, and third years. Coach always does a great job of recruiting and really there is no limit for this group of guys,” he added.
The team is now poised to jump off this platform and become the team to beat in Ontario. Despite this being their first trip to nationals since 1992, it will most certainly not be their last.
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