On Nov. 23, 2024, Laval beat Wilfrid Laurier 22-17 to win the Vanier Cup, with linebacker-turned-kicker Felipe Forteza setting a record by making six field goals in the championship game.

The Rouge et Or did not need a flashy offensive avalanche to leave Kingston with a trophy. They needed control, field position and a defense that could make Laurier play from behind schedule. Forteza supplied the scoring, Arnaud Desjardins supplied the early stability at quarterback, and the Laval defense supplied the pressure that kept the Golden Hawks from turning momentum into enough points.

Forteza's performance stood out immediately. He converted kicks from multiple distances, including the record-setting sixth field goal with just over two minutes left. He had only begun kicking field goals regularly this season, after making the transition from defense, but looked calm under championship pressure. Desjardins, meanwhile, completed 34 of 42 passes for 320 yards and opened the game by hitting his first 22 attempts, helping Laval control the tempo without ever needing to chase points.

Laurier came in unbeaten and with a reputation for finishing drives. Quarterback Taylor Elgersma, the Hec Crighton Trophy winner, was good enough to keep the Golden Hawks alive, throwing touchdown passes to Ryan Hughes and Jaxon Stebbings and finishing with 246 yards. But Laval forced him into five sacks and several costly setbacks. The Rouge et Or defense helped create the field position that produced a safety, and a late fumble recovery helped shut the door when Laurier was still within reach.

The championship was shaped by small swings. Laval opened with a field goal, added another through Forteza, and slowly stretched the margin through a first half in which it seemed to win every hidden-yardage battle. Laurier was able to answer at times, but not often enough to fully tilt the game. By the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks were chasing a game in which they had rarely been able to dictate terms.

The result gives Laval its 12th national title and its second in three years. It also handed Laurier its first loss of the season and another painful finish in a national final. For Laval, the victory was a reminder that championship football in Canada can still be won through discipline, defense and a kicker who suddenly became the center of the story.

Laval's title also arrived against the backdrop of a game that was as much about discipline as talent. The Rouge et Or made the Golden Hawks defend the full length of the field, and that mattered once the weather, the crowd and the championship atmosphere started to squeeze the tempo. Laurier had the league's best story line with its unbeaten season, but Laval answered with the cleaner operation in the biggest moments. For a program that has already built a habit of winning national finals, this one fit the classic formula: defense, special teams and a kicker who refused to blink.

The win also capped a season in which Laval entered as one of the country's most reliable championship programs and exited that way again.