The York University Lions field hockey team began its pursuit of a national title on home turf on Thursday afternoon in their first game of the 2024 Field Hockey Canada U SPORTS Invitational Championship against the Atlantic champion UPEI Panthers.

The Lions wasted little time getting on the board, as just over three minutes in, Jewel Lew put the lions up a goal off a penalty corner, as she finished off a well-executed play to make it 1-0 Lions.

The hosts doubled their lead seven minutes later when Elma Arsalan took a pass from the near side and put it past Panther goalie Julie Hall. That made it 2-0 York, a lead they would hold through the opening quarter.

The Lions continued to carry the pace of play in the second, controlling the vast majority of the possession game. They had several more chances in the quarter, including four more penalty corners, but were unable to add to their lead. The Panthers lone offensive push of the quarter came near the end of the half, but they were unable to get a shot off on Lion goalie Jade Lew, who did not face a shot in the entire opening half.

The Lions got yet another penalty corner early in the third quarter and one again took advantage. It was a bit of a scramble play off the corner and the ball was found by none other than York's lone all-Canadian, Abby Thompson. She deposited the ball behind Hall to make it 3-0 Lions through 45 minutes of action.

The Lions did not let off the gas in the final frame and were rewarded with a pair of tallies. First, Elyse Ives made it 4-0 with a net-front finish with just over three minutes to go. Less than two minutes later, York rookie Tessa Wang rounded out the scoring to make the final 5-0 in favour of the host Lions.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Lions battle the Waterloo Warriors Friday afternoon in the second game of round-robin play. Game time is set for 4:30 pm back at Alumni Field. Admission is free, and you can stream the game live by clicking here.