Olivia Brown scores hat-trick in wild first gameday of 2025
The first weekend of league play offered two intense Guelph United matches, both away from home, both ending in draws, and in both with our teams coming from behind to gain a point. We’ve seen a total of 10 goals in the 2 matches - with three of them scored by Olivia Brown.
The women’s match at Downsview Park in Toronto, against North Toronto Nitros, turned out to be quite entertaining. Olivia Brown, our top goal-scorer in the 2022 season, started 2025 with an exceptional performance, and a hat-trick that salvaged a point in a match in which our hosts led twice, 2-1 and 3-2. It was a stellar performance for a player who, after returning to Guelph United in 2024, missed a lengthy part of the campaign due to injury.
Brown’s hat-trick gets her GUFC tally to 17 goals in 30 appearances for our club.
Previously on Sunday, GUFC Men travelled to Pickering, to face local side Pickering FC in the first match of the L1O Championship season. Our boys started the game poorly, and conceded two goals in the first 35 minutes, both from Ayomide Adobare. Guelph eventually took control of the match, and started creating chances, converting one at the end of the first half, through Gray Yates. In the second half, Vahan Sargsyan tied the game, with his first goal for GUFC. A final push from our side did not bring the winning goal, however, with the match ending in a 2-2 draw.
Next Sunday, our women’s team travels to Woodbridge, while the men are away at Windsor.
Pickering FC - Guelph United (men) 2-2 (2-1)
Goals: Adobare (‘9, ‘34) - Yates (‘45), Sargsyan (‘63)
Yellow cards: Mouratidis - Yates, Andoga.
Guelph United: Harrington - Oakley, Fernandez, Obedi, Lopreiato (‘79 Andoga) - Ostrun (‘69 Alexa), Sears, Yates - Sargsyan, Tinmouth, Borges (‘86 Qushair).
North Toronto Nitros - Guelph United (women) 3-3 (2-2)
Goals: Greco (‘19), Campbell (‘24), Bell (‘54) - Brown (‘18, ‘45, ‘63).
Guelph United: Jones - Starcevic, Am. Pires, Al. Pires - Stavropoulos, Sowers (‘68 Pike), O’Donnell (‘88 Geady), Knafelc - Hipkin, Brown (‘81 Rowe), Rizakos.