Laval wins Vanier Cup in Saturday game against Laurier

The Laval Rouge et Or won the coveted Vanier Cup against the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, going 22-17.

It was Laval player Felipe Forteza booting six field goals, while fellow teammate Arnaud Desjardins had a total of 320 passing yards, which lead to the victory Saturday afternoon.

Forteza’s sixth field goal in the last quarter made it a Vanier Cup record, with two minutes and thirty one seconds left on the clock.

This victory for the Quebec City team made it their twelfth Vanier Cup win of all time.

The Vanier Cup is awarded to Canada’s top university football team every year.

In the cup’s history, Laurier has claimed victory twice, with the last time being in 2005.

A 2024 Vanier Cup watch party in full swing at Wilf's on Wilfrid Laurier's campus, Nov. 23 (Sidra Jafri/CTV News)

Ahead of Saturday’s game, two Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks players received national awards, with quarterback Taylor Elgersma winning the Hec Crighton Trophy for the Most Outstanding Player in U SPORTS football and head coach Michael Faulds took home the Frank Tindall Trophy, for the U SPORTS football Coach of the Year.

The two teams faced off at the Richardson Stadium at Queen’s University.

Wilf’s Restaurant and Bar at Wilfrid Laurier University hosted a watch party event for the game. The establishment was filled with Laurier students and alumni cheering for their university’s team.

A 2024 Vanier Cup watch party in full swing at Wilf's on Wilfrid Laurier's campus, Nov. 23 (Sidra Jafri/CTV News)

The event had hype people on the microphone to help keep the energy up during intermissions.

Colbey Hind was one of the hype-up MCs keeping the crowd going.

“Energy's looking pretty good… They're doing a pretty good job [at] getting engaged and being loud. We need them to be and a lot of people are here today, so it's great,” said Hind.

According to Wilf's instagram, the game was playing on all 11 televisions in the space.

Fans could be seen enjoying food and drinks alongside peers as they cheered on the Golden Hawks and took part in chants.

“We’re pretty fired up,” said fourth-year Laurier student Clark Noonan. “We couldn't make it down to Queen’s today but I think there's no place better to watch than the campus bar. So, it's been a great day so far.”

Students echoed each other’s optimism of a turnaround during half-time after Laurier was down 17-7.

As the Golden Hawks closed in on the second half of the game, the Rouge et Or ended up taking the cup with a 5-point lead.

The 2025 Vanier Cup will take place in Regina, Sask.