Astolfo sets OUA record, Warriors earn first win since 2023 in overtime thriller

TORONTO, Ont. - Football is a game of inches. Anyone who's watched a football game has heard the Vince Lombardi quote. And anyone who watched Saturday night's overtime thriller between the Waterloo Warriors and Toronto Varsity Blues was reminded just how true it is. 

After giving up a late touchdown and the lead with seconds remaining, it took a record-breaking field goal from Evan Astolfo (Burlington/) to send the game into overtime. The Warriors were able to escape Toronto with their first win since October 21, 2023, which also came at Varsity Stadium against the Blues. 

This, however, was a very different Toronto team than the one Waterloo beat two years ago. Now coached by former Warriors Defensive Coordinator Darrell Adams, the Varsity Blues put the OUA on notice with a 42-23 dismantling of Carleton in week one. In that game quarterback Scott Barnett set a new OUA single-game record with 613 passing yards, while Chris Joseph tied the single-game receptions record with 19. 

The Warriors, meanwhile, were coming off a hard-fought week one loss at home to the Ottawa Gee-Gees, in which they were kept out of the endzone entirely. 

The Varsity Blues picked up right where they left off in the nation's capital on their opening drive, moving quickly down the field. Waterloo's defence was able to shut down Ottawa's run game in week one, and so Toronto stayed away from the ground game, doing most of their damage through the air. 

It almost cost them when Arden Martinez (Niagara Falls/) had a ball slip through his fingers deep in Waterloo territory. Avoiding the turnover, the Blues were able to salvage three points with a Sam Henke field goal. Barnett found Jake Oseen in the endzone later in the quarter, and Toronto took a 9-0 lead into the second. 

The Warriors finally found paydirt early in the frame when Roy Van der Veen (Grand Valley/) bounced off three different Blues tacklers before diving into the endzone for the team's first major of 2025. 

Waterloo almost had another when Nick Orr (Caledon/) found Evan Basalyga (Thunder Bay/) all alone just short of the goal line, but the fourth-year H-back couldn't secure the football with defensive backs on his heels. Barnett connected with Joseph for another touchdown, and Toronto led 16-10 at halftime. 

The biggest developments in the second quarter, however, were injuries to two key Waterloo players. First, fourth-year defensive lineman Marcus Ola (Brockville/) left the field. Then Orr went down, leaving Nolan Kaban (Calgary/) to step in under centre. Neither Ola nor Orr returned to the game. 

Kaban looked calm and collected in his first few drives of the season. Some creative plays were able to kick the Warriors offence into high gear. A double pass to Marcus Hoegl (Burlington/) set up a field goal to cut the lead to three. Then, a well-executed play-action left Romel Samuel-Slocombe all alone, leading to another punch-in major from Van der Veen to give Waterloo their first lead of 2025. 

Trailing 20-16 heading into the final frame, the Varsity Blues were saved by their special teams. Two blocked field goals in the second half kept the Warriors from building a significant lead. 

Neither team was able to get much offense going. For the second game in a row, Waterloo's defence played well but was unable to come up with any big, momentum-shifting plays. Four times Warriors defenders were able to get their hands around an errant pass, but all ended in incompletions rather than interceptions. 

With 19 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Barnett dropped back and unleashed a 53-yard bomb to Oseen, who just barely broke the plane before being tackled to give his team a 23-20 lead. 

Suddenly, all those near-misses – the dropped interceptions, the bobble at the goal line, the blocked field goals – came rushing back to haunt the Warriors. In a game of inches, the little things have big consequences. 

Operating with just under ten seconds of playing time Kaban led a drive that came up just short of field goal range. 

Or so everyone thought. 

Lining up from 57 yards out, true freshman Evan Astolfo (Burlington/) let loose a kick that cleared the crossbar by inches. It's the longest made field goal in OUA history, the second longest in U SPORTS history, and only the fourth field goal of longer than 55 yards ever recorded in Canadian University football. 

Astolfo's miracle kick tied the game at the buzzer to send it to overtime. Waterloo's defence forced yet another two-and-out, and the offence wasted no time in making it count. After gaining a first down, the Warriors went right back to Astolfo, who calmly knocked in a 21-yarder to give his team their first win in just under 20 months.  

The Warriors move to 1-1 on the season, with a chance to move above .500 when they face the Carleton Ravens next Saturday. The Ravens have not played since their loss to Toronto, as they had a bye this week. 

Kickoff is set for 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 6. Warrior Field is sure to be packed with students back on campus and Black and Gold Day festivities in full swing. Tickets are still available.