Field Hockey | 11/2/2025 4:19:00 PM
They've done it.
The York University Lions field hockey team has slayed the dragon, beating the Victoria Vikes by a 1-0 score on Sunday afternoon in Charlottetown, P.E.I., to capture the second Field Hockey Canada U SPORTS Invitational Championship.
York continued their quest for their first ever national title in a rematch of last year's gold medal match at Alumni Field, where the Vikes took down the Lions on home soil by that same 1-0 count, extending their run of national banners to six.
The first half of this one finished goalless, with the Lions best chances coming in the second quarter. Katie Tye lobbed the ball over the top for Elise Piper, who dashed past the Vikes back line but fired just wide. Then with only 58 seconds remaining in the half, Natalie Brown unleashed a strike heading to the top corner, forcing a save from Vikes goalkeeper Anais Chace.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the late fourth quarter as Gates McAlister whipped the ball from the flanks, finding Piper inside the circle. She quickly passed to Juliet Redelaar who slotted the ball into the bottom-left corner to give York a lead in the dying minutes.
The Lions held on in the closing moments to secure that seemingly-elusive first ever national championship, ending the Vikes gold medal streak at six dating back to the days of the original U SPORTS championships which ran until 2023. The victory caps off a double banner for York, after they captured the OUA banner last weekend.
LOOKING AHEAD:
The Lions now look toward 2026 after finishing the season with 11 wins, 10 of those via shutout, the most clean sheets in a season in program history, including the playoffs.
