The University of Windsor Lancers football team hosts their first OUA semifinal playoff game since 1990 on Saturday, November 1 at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium against the Queen's Gaels.

The Lancers last made the semifinal in 2023, falling to Laurier on the road. The last time the OUA semifinals were hosted in Windsor was 1990, when the Lancers took on the Toronto Varsity Blues. Tickets for the game are now on sale and available at golancers.ca/tickets.

After going 5-3 (W-L) in the regular season to earn the third seed in the OUA, the Lancers defended home turf on Saturday in a 31-24 win over the Ottawa Gee-Gees to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2023.

The Lancers usual suspects were at work again on Saturday, with Nick Dimovski and the running backs of Weagbe Mombo, Andrew Delaney, and Liam Talbot picking up big yardage on the ground. The stellar defensive core of Braxton Johnson and Ahmad Taylor on the line pressured the Ottawa offense all afternoon long, while Marco Piccioni, Dylan Simpson, and Istvan Assibo-Dadzie, among others, held down the secondary.

Dimovski threw for 173 yards on 14 completions. Mombo had a big day rushing, picking up 107 yards on 13 carries. He had one rushing touchdown early in the game and pounced on a fumble in the Ottawa endzone late to seal the game for the Lancers. Talbot had a crucial 39-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, part of 86 total yards on the day, and Delaney added 35 yards.
Defensively, Ethan John's 11 total tackles led the Lancers. Piccioni and Simpson had six each. Assibo-Dadzie had five and Sean Adams, Harrison Daley, and Taylor four each, plus a sack for Taylor. Rakowska intercepted Ottawa's last-second pass attempt to clinch the victory.

The four-seed Gaels earned their spot in the semifinal with a 46-10 win over McMaster. Quarterback Alex Vreeken passed for 241 yards and two touchdowns, with Jack Ashby-Jacobs leading all receivers with fifty yards. Queen's had six receivers with at least 25 yards. Jared Chisari had 155 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Keegan Vanek had two interceptions.

The Lancers and Gaels tied in the standings at 5-3, but a win by Windsor in Kingston on the final day of the regular season gave them the tiebreaker and third place. Windsor will be eager to get redemption on the Gaels after Queen's eliminated the Lancers last year at home in the quarter-finals.
 
DETAILS
Saturday, November 1 at 1 p.m.
Alumni Stadium – Windsor, Ont.
Live Stats | Tickets | Watch
 
2025 REGULAR SEASON STAT LEADERS
Windsor Lancers
Touchdowns: Nick Dimovski – 5
Passing yards: Nick Dimovski – 1857
Receiving yards: Colby Ginn – 426
Rushing yards: Weagbe Mombo – 789
Tackles: Ethan John – 47
Sacks: Ahmad Taylor – 9.5
Interceptions: Dylan Simpson – 4
Field goals made: Brady Lidster – 27

Queen's Gaels
Touchdowns: Nathan Falconi, Jared Chisari – 9
Passing yards: Alex Vreeken – 215
Receiving yards: Nathan Falconi – 720
Rushing yards: Jared Chisari – 954
Tackles: Jacob Baldwin, Justin Pace – 32
Sacks: Oliver Jackson – 5
Interceptions: John Corscadden – 4
Field goals made: Tyler Mullan – 16
 
HEAD-TO-HEAD HISTORY
Oct. 18, 2025 – Windsor at Queen's, 31-28 WSR
Oct. 26, 2024 – Queen's at Windsor, 22-19 QUE (OUA QF)
Aug. 24, 2024 – Queen's at Windsor, 25-21 WSR
Sep. 23, 2023 – Windsor at Queen's, 29-5 WSR
Sep. 14, 2019 – Windsor at Queen's, 15-8 QUE