The Varsity Blues men's soccer team opens their 2017 regular season this Saturday, August 26 as they host the Nipissing Lakers at Varsity Stadium.

U of T also takes on the Laurentian Voyageurs on Sunday afternoon. The matches are free and open to the public with game time scheduled for 2:15 p.m.

The Blues will be vying for their third consecutive national championship berth in 2017. U of T has earned the OUA bronze medal for the past three seasons and head coach Anthony Capotosto thinks this year's squad has what it takes to claim the OUA banner.

"We will attempt to build on the progress we've made over the last two seasons by qualifying for the national championship tournament again this year," said Capotosto, now in his 11th season with the team. "With a number of fifth-year players returning for their final season, we are looking forward to competing among the best teams in the country and improving upon our results from 2016. There is a lot of excitement within the team and we're all focused on achieving our goals for the upcoming season."   

They say that defence wins championships and the Varsity Blues have no shortages of veteran defenders. Team co-captains Lukas MacNaughton and Devon Bowyer return for their fifth years in the Blue and White.

"The first priority for our team is to come first in our division," said Bowyer. "We believe if we come first, we put ourselves in a good standing to reach the OUA final."

MacNaughton, who led the team in scoring with seven goals in 2016, is currently representing Canada at the 2017 FISU Summer Universiade in Taipei. He is a three-time OUA all-star and was named a 2015 U SPORTS second team all-Canadian.

Bowyer is a four-time OUA all-star and was a member of the junior Trinidad & Tobago national team. He and MacNaughton also have fifth-year veteran David Colelli and third-year standout Koosha Nazemi to help bolster the back line. Colelli has been a steady presence for the Blues since 2013, while Nazemi is also in Taipei representing Canada at the FISU Games.

The veteran defensive corps will be playing ahead of fourth-year goalkeeper Mark Rogal. Rogal, a 2016 OUA all-star, led the OUA with 12 shut outs and ranked second in the province with a 0.56 GAA and .859 save percentage in 2016.

2015 OUA East rookie of the year Yousef Helmy returns to the Blues after an injury riddled season last year. The Mississauga native will be called upon to lead Toronto's young midfield in 2017.

Up front, the Blues are bolstered by fifth-year strikers Nirun Sivananthan, Russell Rodrigues and Antonio Ajhert. Sivananthan has been a constant scoring threat over the last four seasons and earned OUA all-star honours in 2015. Rodrigues had a breakout season for the Blues in 2016, scoring three goals and adding three assists in 11 regular season games.

Ajhert ranked second on the team with six goals last season and will also rely on third-year scoring threat Jack Wadden to strengthen Toronto's attack.

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