The York University Lions field hockey team opened the 2017 season with a pair of dominant victories on Saturday, taking down the Waterloo Warriors 8-0 and the host Western Mustangs 5-0 in London, Ont.
 
Head coach Zeeshan Minhas said before the season that the team would have a better offensive attack this year and he was proven right immediately. With 13 goals in their first two games, the Lions have already scored half the total number of goals they scored all of last year.
 
Rookie forward Jaslan Stirling made an impressive debut, scoring three goals in the win over Waterloo, including the game winner with the first tally in the fifth minute. She also scored in the 37^th and 59^th minutes.
 
Fellow rookies Madison Mitchell and Paige Koochin also scored the first goals of their careers, as did Montana Merante in her first game with the Lions after previously playing ice hockey for the Laurier Golden Hawks. Rounding out the scoring for the Lions were Kyra McKinnon and Mikhaela Slavin.
 
It took longer for the Lions to get on the board in the game against the Mustangs, but once the scoring started the end result was another lopsided victory.
 
Just before the end of the first half Sara Vollmerhausen gave the Lions a 1-0 lead with her first of the season. Merante added to it in the 40^th minute with her second of the day, and four minutes later Vollmerhausen scored again for the 3-0 advantage. Ravneet Kalkat and rookie Frankie St. Louis also scored before the final whistle.
 
The Lions will head to Kingston, Ont., next weekend for a trio of games, including one each against the three-time reigning OUA champion Toronto Varsity Blues and the silver medal-winning Guelph Gryphons. The Lions will also face the McGill Martlets next weekend.