After winning back-to-back OUA titles in 2017 and 2018, the York University Lions field hockey team will aim to return to their level of dominance over the province's field hockey conference over the playoffs. To do that, they will have to go through the team that knocked them out in the 2019 semifinal — the No. 2 nationally ranked Toronto Varsity Blues.
 
The one-game OUA semifinal between Toronto and the No. 5-ranked Lions is set for Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Back Campus Fields on the University of Toronto's St. George campus, with a 1 pm start.
 
The Lions finished their regular season with a 4-2-2 record, with all of their losses and draws from the regular season coming in contests against the Blues. Their four wins were all convincing victories over the Queen's Gaels. Both York and Toronto swept their season series with the Gaels.
 
A lot of York's regular season points came from a familiar face for the team in Amber Sandhu, who hadn't suited up as a Lion since 2018. Her 2021 return was an impactful one. Sandhu finishes the regular season ranked third in OUA scoring with six goals to go along with a pair of assists. The second-year forward led the Lions to a 2-0-1 record in the team's final three games, which began with a tough matchup against the aforementioned Blues.
 
Alyssa Brooks and Natalie Winter also contributed offensively, each registering three points on the regular season. That ties them for second on team scoring, behind Sandhu.
 
Additionally, team captain Frankie St. Louis provides a strong presence on defence, also chipping in with a team-lead of six shots on goal, and an assist.