It was a brisk autumn afternoon at Alumni Field as the York University Lions field hockey team took the turf on Sunday hosting the Queen's Gaels, eager to build on Saturday's victory over Queen's in Kingston. With playoff positioning on the line, the Lions entered the return fixture determined to close out their home stretch on a high note.
From the opening whistle, York carried the tempo, pressing the Gaels deep into their own half and creating several early penalty corners. Their persistence paid off when Juliet Redelaar opened the scoring in the second minute of play. The Lions continued to push forward, and Kathryn Carlow doubled the lead in the eighth minute with a composed finish, making it 2-0 Lions early.
York kept the pressure on in the second quarter, and Carlow struck again in the 25th minute to make it 3–0 at halftime. She completed her hat trick early in the second half, scoring in the 37th minute to extend the Lions' advantage to four.
In the final quarter, Avery Davis capped off the scoring with a goal in the 54th minute, sealing another dominant display from the Lions' attack. York outshot Queen's 8–0 and recorded five penalty corners while earning their fourth straight shutout, two off the program record of six, set three times (1980-81, 2024).
The win marks York's sixth of the season, improving their record to 6-1-1 as they push to secure home-field advantage in the OUA Final Four, which runs from Oct. 25-26 and will be hosted by the No. 1 overall seed.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Lions now turn their attention to their final two regular season matchups against the Toronto Varsity Blues, with the first set for Saturday at 1:00 pm, with the rematch slated for next Sunday at 2:00 pm.