The York University Lions field hockey team took on the McMaster Marauders on Saturday afternoon in their home opener at Alumni Field. Coming off a dominant 6-0 win over the Western Mustangs last Sunday, the Lions looked to improve to 2-0-1 on the season and tighten their grip on first in the OUA East. McMaster, meanwhile, was playing their first game of the season after winning two games by forfeit over Toronto and Queen's on the opening weekend of play 

The first quarter did not showcase any scoring, but did show York's control of the game, in a physical frame where the Lions committed 5 fouls. They led the period with 6 shots however, with it seeming like it was just a matter of time before they opened the scoring.

Early in the second, Gwendolyn Beauchamp ripped one into the net to open the scoring, and not even a minute later Gates McAllister netted one herself to quickly put the Lions up 2-0. Juliet Redelaar added another just past the 20th minute, and York ended up going into halftime with a commanding 3-0 lead on a tally from Kathryn Carlow, her fourth already on the young season.

The third quarter was more evenly matched, with McMaster finally being able to gain some balance of play and force a few shots of their own, but York goalie Ella Ciesielski remained sharp in net, only having to deal with four total shots on goal in the entire game, turning away all of them. Late in the third, Natalie Brown drew a penalty shot, and converted it to make it a 4-0 game heading into the final frame

The Lions continued their offensive surge in the fourth, as Carlow (48:08) and Elise Piper (50:04) both scored to seal a 6-0 win. With the goals coming from five different players, including from Carlow with two, and leading in shots on goal 20-9, the Lions provided a masterclass of a game Saturday afternoon in a huge win.

LOOKING AHEAD:  

Following another dominant victory, the Lions will remain at home and play the Waterloo Warriors tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Admission is free.