Ezequiel Lubocki scored two goals as the No. 8 Varsity Blues men’s soccer team booked their ticket to the CIS championship with a huge 4-1 victory over the top-ranked and defending national champion York Lions in OUA semi-final action on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 5) at Carleton University.

The Blues will look to defend their OUA title as they take on the McMaster Marauders in the gold-medal match tomorrow at 3 p.m. McMaster defeated the host Carleton Ravens 3-2 in penalty kicks in the second semifinal on Saturday.

U of T will also join the host Victoria Vikings, Montreal Carabins, McGill Redmen, Cape Breton Capers and McMaster Marauders, as well as two undetermined teams, at the 2011 CIS men’s soccer championship, November 10-13.

The Lions struck first as OUA West all-star Adrian Pena sent a free kick off a Blues defender to beat U of T goalkeeper John Smits in the fifth minute of action.

Toronto answered back just six minutes later as second-year midfielder James Greatorex (London, UK) came streaking down the left side and sent the ball into traffic in front of the net.  Lubocki, a sophomore midfielder from Winnipeg, jumped on the loose ball and fired it past York goalkeeper Sotiri Varlokostas to even the score at 1-1.

Both teams had chances to capitalize throughout the remainder of the half, with neither able to convert. 

The highlight of the first half came in the 25th minute as Blues captain Geoffrey Borgmann took down York’s Alon Badat inside the box.  Badat stepped up for the penalty kick, only to be denied by a diving Smits in what proved to be a repeat performance of last year’s OUA gold-medal match when the fourth-year goalkeeper stopped Pena’s first-half penalty kick en route to the OUA title.

The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 at the half.

Toronto was fired up to start the second half and it paid off.  In the 61st minute, Greatorex was taken down in front of the net by York’s Branko Majstorovic.  Majstorovic was given a red card and Lubocki stepped up for the penalty kick.  The OUA all-star made no mistake, sending a low, hard shot past Varlokostas to give the Blues a one-goal advantage.

Borgmann would add some insurance in the 76th minute, jumping on a through ball and chipping it past Varlokostas into a wide open net. 

The Blues added another marker in extra time as a York defender attempted to clear the ball and fired it off rookie striker Jermaine Burrell and into the net. 

NOTES: Toronto holds a 33-17-11 head-to-head record since their first meeting with York on Sept. 27, 1969.  The Blues also improve their playoff record versus the Lions to 6-4.

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