Coore, Zeppieri claim most valuable player honors for their championship bound teams

Burlington, Ont. – An innate talent for putting up points is a constant among this year’s awards class, with two in particular leading the pack across the conference. Ontario Tech’s Kairo Coore and York’s Christian Zeppieri have added to their accolades, headlining the award winners and all-stars from the 2024 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) men’s soccer season.

Most Valuable Player (East) - Kairo Coore, Ontario Tech

Coore had remarkable campaign. He scored 11 goals for the Ridgebacks to lead the OUA.

His start with the Ridgebacks was a scorching one, tallying four points in Ontario Tech’s first two games of the season. The educational studies student played 10 games and found the back at least once in all but three of them.

The forward from Whitby, Ont. had his best game of the season when he netted a hat trick in their 5-2 win over Trent. He backed that performance up two games later by scoring both Ridgebacks’ goals in their 2-1 win over Toronto to close out their home slate.

Coore played a key role in Ontario Tech’s playoff run as well, as they beat Nipissing, Toronto, and McMaster, with Coore scoring in penalties to advance to the OUA final this weekend.

This is the third time an athlete from Ontario Tech has won the MVP award, and the first time they’ve claimed back-to-back winners after Omar Marzouk took home the honours last year.

Most Valuable Player (West) - Christian Zeppieri, York

The West Division most valuable player has proven there's no such thing as a sophomore jinx. The dynamic midfielder has been a difference maker once again for the Lions, this year showing he is more than just a goal-scorer.

While he did pot nine tallies for York, third-most in the conference and tied for sixth in the OUA standings, Zeppieri also led the province in assists with eight. Of the 12 games the Maple Ont. native played, he scored goals in seven of them, had a pair of multi-goal efforts, and posted points in eight of the those regular season matches.

He becomes the first Lion to win the OUA MVP in consecutive seasons since Francesco Bruno took it home in both 2008 and 2009, while also becoming the fourth York player to win the award on multiple occasions (Bruno, 2008/2009; Adrain Pena, 2010/2012; Jonathan Lao (2013/2016).

Rookie of the Year (East) - Niklas Hallam, Toronto

Hallam hit the ground running in his rookie campaign. In his first season, he tied a team-high and sat tied for second in the conference with 10 goals.

The midfielder had a five-game scoring streak from August 31st to September 15th, posting a hat trick in only his second game with the Varsity Blues. He followed up that performance with two goals in Toronto’s win over cross town rival TMU. Hallam would also record another hat trick in Toronto’s second 8-0 victory over RMC later in the season.

The Victoria, B.C. native played in all 12 regular season games during his foray onto the varsity field.

This marks the Toronto Varsity Blues seventh rookie of the year nod since 2000.  

Rookie of the Year (West) – Luca Accettola, York

All Accettola did in his OUA debut was put up points.

He potted the second goal in the Lions 2-0 season-opening win over McMaster and continued on from there. For the season, he finished with six goals and four assists, with the latter being good enough to tie him for fourth in the OUA.  

Despite tempering off a bit in the middle of the season, the midfielder finished his first year strong. The Vaughan, Ont. native scored goals in four of the Lions’ final six games, including a brace in a convincing 5-0 win over the Windsor Lancers.

The kinesiology and health science student becomes the first York player in eight years to win rookie of the year, with Cristian Cavallini being the last in 2016.

Community Service Award (East) - Yusuf Osman, Carleton

Osman has been a first-rate team captain for Carleton.

The fourth-year leads the Ravens men’s soccer leadership group and is an instrumental leader in the dressing room. He also sits on the Ravens’ varsity council.

His selfless attitude on and off the pitch has propelled the young Carleton team to new heights of excellence and helped build a strong family culture. Osman played in nine games this season, scoring one goal.

He also gives his time to the Ottawa community. A local himself, he is a community coach within the Ottawa region. The international business student is heavily involved in the grassroots Jr. Ravens program, where Ravens players and coaches work directly with the participants, focusing on age-appropriate graduated skill development, as well as staying fit, having fun, and making friends.

“Mr. Osman is a perfect story from a player that was red shirted and played minimally in his first three years to our starter and team captain this year,” said head coach Marcelo Plada. “I have nothing but the utmost respect and praise for his accomplishments. He leads by example and gives everything to his teammates. He is always there to support not only his family but always thinking about the future of the program."

Community Service Award (West) – Cole Fernandez, Guelph

For the past year, Fernandez, a fourth-year center back, has been an active and valued volunteer member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph. Through this charity organization, he has been connecting with students at nearby Kortright Hills Public School, engaging with elementary school students on a regular basis in a mentorship role, helping to boost morale and academic motivation of local youth.

For Fernandez, a sociology student, volunteering at a local school was a perfect fit given his aspirations of becoming a teacher in the future. The Hamilton, Ont. native is currently in the process of applying for teacher’s college and is set to complete his undergraduate degree in the coming months.  

Fernandez is a two-time OUA West first team all-star (2023 & 2024) and a U SPORTS second team all-Canadian (2023).

“Not only is Cole a strong community leader with his support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guelph, he is also a leader on the field with his warrior heart and mentality, playing through injuries to be one of the best center backs in the OUA,” said Gryphons head coach Keith Mason. “We are very proud of him and all that he does on and off the pitch.”

This is sixth time that a Gryphon has been awarded this honour, with the most recent being Harvey Marchant in 2021.

Coach of the Year (East) - Ilya Orlov, Toronto

Orlov completed an exceptional season for the Toronto Varsity Blues, leading them to a 9-2-1 record for top spot in the OUA East. His team also lead the entire OUA on the offensive end, scoring 48 goals.

Under Orlov’s leadership, the Varsity Blues were also strong defensively, allowing just 10 goals, which was tied for the fewest surrendered in the league.

The 2024 season marks the best regular season for Toronto in Orlov's six seasons as head coach, and helps bring the program’s coach of the year nods up to seven.

Coach of the Year (West) – Tristan Joyce, McMaster

In only his second season behind the bench, Joyce led the McMaster Marauders to an 8-2-2 record, good for the second spot in the OUA West.

Joyce led the Marauders to the OUA semifinals this season, where they fell in penalty kicks. He has been a great support system for the athletes, and has been a key part of the excitement and growth surrounding the McMaster men's team.

A former Marauder goalkeeper himself, Joyce was awarded an OUA Central Division all-star nod in 2021.

The complete list of 2024 OUA men’s soccer award winners and all-stars are as follows:

Most Valuable Player (East) - Kairo Coore, Ontario Tech
Most Valuable Player (West) - Christian Zeppieri, York
Rookie of the Year (East) - Niklas Hallam, Toronto
Rookie of the Year (West) – Luca Accettola, York
Community Service Award (East) - Yusuf Osman, Carleton
Community Service Award (West) – Cole Fernandez, Guelph
Coach of the Year (East) - Ilya Orlov, Toronto
Coach of the Year (West) – Tristan Joyce, McMaster

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS

East Division

Goalkeeper – Kevon Grant, Ontario Tech
Defender – Alexander Irwin, Ontario Tech
Defender – Brady Curkovic, Carleton
Defender – Akeim Villous, TMU
Defender – Shon Siegelwachs, Toronto
Midfielder – Mehdi Essoussi, Toronto
Midfielder – Jack Sears, Ontario Tech
Midfielder – Yusuf Osman, Carleton
Striker – Kairo Coore, Ontario Tech
Striker – Andrea Schifano, Toronto
Striker – Ousman Maheshe, Carleton

West Division

Goalkeeper – Dino Bontis, Western
Defender – Matthew Paiva, McMaster
Defender – Kelvin Ramirez, York
Defender – Daniel Oshana, Western
Defender – Cole Fernandez, Guelph
Midfielder – Christian Zeppieri. York
Midfielder – Mohamed Alshakman, McMaster
Midfielder – Luca Accettola, York
Striker – Amir Shirazi, McMaster
Striker – Yigal Bruk, York
Striker – Luc Coulombe, Western

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

East Division

Goalkeeper – Dante Ferraro, TMU
Defender – Ainsley Bryan, Trent
Defender – Josh Crete, Queen’s
Defender – Julian Srock, Nipissing
Midfielder – Chris Campoli, TMU
Midfielder – Niklas Hallam, Toronto
Midfielder – Adam N’Goran, Carleton
Midfielder – Leo Frans, Trent
Striker – Jevontae Layne, TMU
Striker – Warren Chambers, Trent
Striker – Timi Aliu, Laurentian

West Division

Goalkeeper – Alessio Carbone, York
Defender – Conrad Czarnecki, Brock
Defender – Jaden Timmis, Algoma
Defender – Thomas Ribiero, Western
Midfielder – Gray Yates, Guelph
Midfielder – Ryan Robinson, York
Midfielder – Ibrahem Saadi, Western
Midfielder – Jacob Cabral, Guelph
Striker – Dante Ruddock, Guelph
Striker – Andrea Chiechi, Laurier
Striker – Malik Darbi, Brock