Men's Soccer | 9/5/2025 10:00:00 AM
After splitting their first two matches, he York University Lions men's soccer team will look to bank a couple of victories this weekend when they take on the McMaster Marauders.
The Lions took their opener on Aug. 28 against the Laurier Golden Hawks by a 2-0 final, with James Fidalgo and newcomer Anthony Morano supplying the offence for the home side. Fidalgo's tally – equaling his total from all of last season – gave York the lead in the 62nd minute, before Morano's insurance marker salted it away in the 68th.
The Lions then dropped the rematch with Laurier 1-0 on Aug. 31, conceding a late-first-half goal to Leonardo Takahashi. The game also saw Fidalgo get hurt in warm-up and be unable to dress, while keeper Alessio Carbone was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute.
The red and white will look to regroup from Sunday's tough loss when they make their way to Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton to battle a McMaster Marauders team that will be playing its season opener. The maroon and white are coming off an opening week bye, and will get set for their first game action a 1-0 loss in non-conference play to the McGill Redbirds on Aug. 26.
These will be key games for York after the early-season loss, which was their earliest defeat to start a season since they dropped the 2021 season opener to the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Sept. 30 of that year. The key thing the Lions will lean going into this one is their process. Despite the 1-1 record, the Lions have generated a whopping 35 shot attempts, the most in the OUA and seven more than the second-place team, the Toronto Varsity Blues.
Perhaps even more telling than the number of shots is the quality of their chances. Of the 35 shots directed at goal during York's first two matches, 19 of them were on target, including 11 in the season opener. While scoring is obviously what wins you games, the Lions have to feel confident that they are doing the right things to generate opportunities. And, while, yes, it's only two games, if they keep up even a similar pace throughout the season, odds are that, eventually, they will find the back of the net more consistently.
Defensively, the Lions also played their hand very well in the opening weekend of the season. They allowed a total of 20 shots, with nine – or nearly half – coming in the second half of the second match against Laurier where they played down a man for the last half-hour plus stoppage time.
Now, the Lions are looking to put all the pieces together and come away with a pair of victories and six pivotal points in the standings. Friday's match begins at 8:15 pm from the Steel City, while Sunday's rematch begins at 3:15 pm from York Lions Stadium. You can get tickets to Sunday's match here, while you can watch both games live, free of charge, on OUA.tv.
