Qushair hat-trick helps GUFC Men reach OPL Cup quarter-finals
Guelph United’s men’s team went into Markham on Tuesday night for an OPL Cup match against Unionville Milliken, knowing that, on paper, they are underdogs. Both games against Unionville last season ended in losses, with our opponents promoting to top-tier OPL 1 at the end of 2025.
None of that mattered, however. Guelph United managed its best performance in years, storming to an easy 5-0 win, after a game dominated from beginning to end. Even before the first goal, we hit the post twice, so Chris Qushair’s opener was with the run of play. Julian Boscariol added his first goal in Guelph United colors just before half-time. The second half continued within the same parameters, with our team attacking and scoring thrice more. Qushair managed his first career hat-trick, and Yordan Stoyanov also opened his goalscoring account for our club.
Guelph United is through to the quarter-finals, and next up for our team will be the winner of the Vaughan Azzurri (OPL 1) - Pickering FC (OPL 2) matchup.
Meanwhile, in league play, we’ll be in Scarborough on Saturday, for a meeting with Master’s FA.
GUFC Women trips reigning champions
After last week’s convincing win in Waterloo to kick off the 2026 women’s season, Guelph United played the first home match on Sunday, against reigning champions Simcoe County Rovers, and came within seconds of securing an impressive win.
A back-and-forth affair in which both teams played aggressive, offensive football saw our team grab the lead in the first half, after a header by Olivia Brown netted her second goal of the young season. Simcoe had more chances to equalize in the second half, but our goalkeeper Jo Mazier was the best player on the field, stopping at least 10 shots on goal. There was nothing she could do in the very last seconds of the game, as a defensive mistake led to an easy tying goal by Simcoe’s Bryanna Caldwell.
Still, it was an encouraging performance from our team, who is hoping to improve on last season’s 4th place finish in the highest tier of Ontario’s top semi-pro soccer league.
Jo Mazier, Goalkeeper of the Week twice in a row
Jo Mazier was named the league’s Goalkeeper of the Week in both weeks of play so far. After a clean sheet in the first game against Waterloo, she was incredible in the second match against Simcoe, having to defend at least 10 shots on goal, and only conceded one, in injury time, following a fluke defensive mistake.