On a bright Sunday afternoon at York Lions Stadium, the York University Lions soccer teams took to the field for their second home game of the season against the Laurier Golden Hawks. The women's team was looking to secure its first win of the season following a 2-2 draw in their opener against the McMaster Marauders. Meanwhile, the men's team aimed to extend their winning streak after 2-0 win over McMaster.

Women's Match:

The Lions women's team came into Sunday looking to build on the momentum they gained in the second half of Friday's match, when they rallied from down 2-0 to secure a draw. Laurier entered the game with similar ambitions, looking to build on their victory over the Brock Badgers in their season opener.

Both teams were strong defensively in the first half. Laurier's back line was particularly impressive, blocking five York shots by halftime.

Nearing the half-hour mark, York's Nia Fleming-Thompson found a breakthrough. She breezed past Laurier's defence for the game's first goal, giving the Lions a 1-0 lead, which they took into the break

In the second half, Laurier pushed back, seeking to level the score. In the 65th minute, Laurier's Taya Johnson managed to slip behind York's defence and put a header past York's goalkeeper, Charlotte Phillips, to tie the game 1-1. 

Phillips made a crucial save later in the match, coming out of her goal in the 89th minute to prevent Laurier from adding a second marker, keeping the match level.

The second half saw four minutes of added time after the regulation 90 minutes, but York could not find a winning goal. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, marking the second consecutive tie for the Lions to start the season.

LOOKING AHEAD:

The Lions will aim to secure their first win when they face the Waterloo Warriors in the final game of the three-game season-opening homestand on September 6 at York Lions Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:00 pm

Men's Match:

The Lions men's team returned to the field with the aim of building off their season-opening victory as they also battled the Laurier Golden Hawks. The Golden Hawks, coming off a win against the Brock Badgers, also hoped to maintain their own momentum heading into this one.

The Lions started the game with a blazing and aggressive offence. Yigal Bruk opened th scoring for York with a clean shot, scoring his first goal of the game and second of the season in just the 6th minute, assisted by Luca Accettola. This early strike set the tone for the rest of the match. Just three minutes later, Christian Zeppieri followed in Bruk's footsteps, netting his first goal of the season after providing a crucial assist in Friday's match on York's second goal..

Thirteen minutes after that, Laurier, who responded with a much-needed goal from Joseph Carabetta in the 22nd minute, narrowing the game to 2-1 in favour of the Lions. The Lions nearly extended their lead again in the 39th minute when Ryan Robinson's shot was thwarted by Laurier's defender, Adriano Colangelo, sending both teams into halftime with York leading 2-1.

Post-halftime, Laurier locked in defensively. The first 20 minutes of the second half were marked by a series of fouls and yellow cards for both teams, including the Lions coaching staff,. In the midst of this physical play, Robinson took advantage of a gap, slipping a shot into the right corner in the 78th minute, extending York's lead to 3-1. Zeppieri struck again just five minutes later, at the 83rd minute, converting a corner kick and giving York a commanding 4-1 lead.

In added time, Matthew Fischer further extended the Lions lead to 5-1 to round out the scoring.

LOOKING AHEAD:
With this victory, the Lions have set the stage for their next match, where they will welcome the Waterloo Warriors to York Lions Stadium on September 6 for their final home game of this opening stretch. Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m.