Women's Soccer | 9/5/2025 8:00:00 AM
The York University Lions women's soccer team is back in action this weekend, looking to enter the win column for the first time in 2025.
York dropped its opening game of the season last Thursday to the Laurier Golden Hawks in a 2-1 decision at York Lions Stadium. They then played the Golden Hawks to a scoreless draw in the rematch on Sunday in Waterloo.
Giulianna Paolella scored the Lions only goal in their first two matches, which were both played without reigning OUA West MVP Nia Fleming-Thompson, who potted 12 goals in as many games en route to that MVP award. While the Lions have the pieces to chip in offensively, replacing a double-digit goal scorer is all but impossible. Treading water will be important until Fleming-Thompson returns, and getting a win would be a great place to start.
The Marauders come in having also not won a game. The only caveat to that – they also haven't played a game. The Marauders enjoyed a bye week in the first week of regular season play, and will kick off their season with a pair of games against the Lions, a team they have struggled against in recent years.
York has only lost one of the previous six matchups between the two sides, with the only Marauder win being a 1-0 victory on Sept. 29, 2023 in Hamilton. Since 2012, the Lions have won 11 of the 19 meetings (regular and postseason), going 11-3-6 in that span. However, despite the lopsided nature of the results in recent years, the teams have been fairly evenly-matched. The Lions have outscored McMaster 24-12 over the last 19 matches, with the 11 wins coming by a combined total of 15 goals.
One of the interesting aspects of this two-game set – particularly the first game Friday at Ron Joyce Stadium – will be the rest vs. rust debate. The Lions have already played twice, while the Marauders will be stepping onto the field in regular season action for the first time. While McMaster did play a pair of non-conference games against the UBCO Heat and Toronto Varsity Blues, they've still gone nearly two weeks without game action. The Lions will look to pounce on them early in Friday's match and earn an important three points in the standings.
Kickoff from Hamilton goes at 6:00 pm on Friday night. The teams will then head back down the highway to York Lions Stadium for the second leg of the home-and-home series, which goes Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm. You can get tickets for Sunday's match here, and you can watch both games, free of charge, live on OUA.tv.
