Tigers fall to Lions in national quarter-final

In a commanding display of offensive firepower, the York Lions are through to the semifinals of the 2025 U SPORTS Men's Soccer Championship after defeating the Dalhousie Tigers 5-1 in the tournament's first quarterfinal Friday at Varsity Stadium.

Box Score

The Ontario finalists left no doubt about their intentions, scoring twice in the opening eight minutes to seize control of the game and never looking back.

The Lions struck with blistering speed. Christian Zeppieri announced his presence early, opening the scoring just three minutes into the match to give York a dream start. The momentum continued unabated as Ryan Robinson found the back of the net just five minutes later, doubling the lead and putting the Atlantic champion Tigers firmly on their heels.

York's first-half onslaught was capped off by Zeppieri once more, who netted his second goal of the game in the 43rd minute to complete a first-half brace and send the Lions into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.

The second half offered no respite for Dalhousie. The Tigers' fortunes went from bad to worse when they conceded an own goal in the 63rd minute to push York's lead to four. Defender James Fidalgo then joined the scoring party, finishing off a play with an assist from Justin Cicchillo in the 69th minute to make it 5-0.

The game's only blemish for York came late when substitute Misha Lysenko was shown a second yellow card, resulting in a red card that forced the Lions to play the final moments a man down. Dalhousie capitalized on the ensuing opportunity, as Mykeo Christmas converted a penalty kick in the 88th minute to break the shutout and bring the score to its final 5-1 margin.

NIKE TEAM PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

YRK – Christian Zeppieri