The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's soccer team fell 3-2 in overtime versus the UQTR Patriotes in their U SPORTS quarter-final showdown on Thursday (Nov. 6) night at Varsity Stadium.

The Patriotes opened the scoring early when Alexandre Marcoux headed in a Gabriel Levasseur corner kick in the second minute. Toronto responded and got on the board when Michael Osorio finished a beautiful cross from Russell Stewart in the 25th minute.

The back-and-forth contest then saw UQTR regain the lead in the 41st minute when Emile Boivin found the top right corner of the net off a nice pass from Marcoux. The Patriotes took a 2-1 advantage into the half.

U of T would enter the second frame pushing hard for an equalizer. 2025 OUA East rookie of the year and U SPORTS all-rookie Jordan Grey would find the tying goal in the 57th minute off a deflection in front of the UQTR net.

The Blues had a golden opportunity to take the lead when UQTR's Zakary Minka was issued a red card for taking down Nicklas Hallam in the box in the 77th minute. However, Patriotes goalkeeper Mathieu Lacharite kept the game tied with a big save on Andrea Schifano's ensuing penalty kick. Lacharite would finish the overtime contest with 11 total saves.

With neither team able to end the stalemate, the game headed into overtime.

Just six minutes into the first 15 minute period, UQTR's Mouhamed Ndiaye proved to be the game's hero as he weaved through a few Blues defenders before sending a quick shot low under the attempt from Toronto goalkeeper Filip Zendelek.

Playing a man-down due to the earlier red card, the Patriotes sat back in a defensive position after jumping back head. The Blues would see good scoring chances from a Russell Stewart free kick, Osorio header, and several rebound opportunities, but the ball was unable to find mesh before the final whistle.

Ndiaye would receive UQTR player of the match honours following his game-winning effort, while Osorio received U of T player of the match recognition.

Next up for the Blues will be a consolation semifinal matchup with the Cape Breton Capers. Tickets for all U SPORTS Men's Soccer National Championship matches are available at varsityblues.ca/tickets, while games are streamed online via CBC digital platforms in English and Radio-Canada digital platforms in French.