Varsity Athletics | 10/23/2026 1:00:00 PM

The York University Lions Field Hockey team is preparing for their biggest weekend of the season so far. York will be hosting the 2026 OUA Field Hockey Championships at York's Alumni Field this weekend. The first semi-final will take place between York and Guelph on Saturday, October 24th 2026 at 11 AM EST. 

York comes into the playoffs as the host for the tournament after finishing as the first overall seed between the four squads. York players Kathryn Carlow and Juliet Redelaar we're recognized this week as OUA All-Stars in Field Hockey for the role they played in York's success so far this season. The seeding is as follows: 

1. York (10-1-1) 

2. Toronto (8-1-3) 

3. Waterloo (6-3-3) 

4. Guelph (6-4-2) 

Seeds one and four will play each other in the first semi-final as mentioned, with seeds two (Toronto) and three (Waterloo) set to play the second semi-final at 1 PM EST, also on Saturday, October 24th 20206. 

The winner of both semi-finals will meet to play the next day on Sunday, October 25th at 1 PM EST for the OUA Championship. The two losing sides in the semi-final will face-off also on Sunday, October 25th  at 11 AM EST for the bronze medal. 

York comes into the playoffs as the favourites, given the fact the Lions are the one seed and won the OUA Championship for Field Hockey last season. Their first obstacle in the way of going back-to-back is the Guelph Gryphons. 

These two teams met twice earlier this season, both having a home game and an away game. York dominated this matchup in the regular season, winning their first game between the two sides 6-0. The 6-0 victory is also the only game these two sides played at York's Alumni Field, where Saturday's game will also be held. With Guelph hosting the second game, the Gryphons fared much better than the first result. York still emerged victorious, but this time by a score of 2-0.  

Guelph still has yet to score a goal against the Lions defense this season despite having two cracks at it. They're not the only team who has been stymied by the Lions this season though, as York allows only 0.60 goals per game on average, second in the OUA to only Toronto's 0.58 allowed per contest. Guelph also has not been as sound defensively, allowing an average of 2.57 goals per game themselves, the third most in the OUA.  

When it comes to offense, few are also better than the York Lions, as they consistently dominate the shot chart against their opponents. York averages nearly double the shots per game as the next closest team, which actually happens to be Guelph. York averages 11.8 shots per game, easily top in the OUA, while Guelph is next closest with 6.2 shots per game. Stats on both sides of the ball favour York in this matchup, but anything can happen in the playoffs and nothing is guaranteed in sports. 

The weekend festivities for the Field Hockey OUA Championship will be free admission for all those who want to attend York's Alumni Field and cheer on the Lions on their quest to go back-to-back.