Field Hockey | 7/14/2026 1:15:00 PM
Fresh off sweeping both the conference and national championships in 2025, the York University Lions field hockey team is no longer the hunter, but the hunted, as they roar into 2026.
The Lions took the OUA title over the Toronto Varsity Blues – coincidentally, their first opponent of the new season – with a 3-1 victory in the championship game, the third meeting between the two sides in the last four years dating back to 2022. The Lions then dispatched the vaunted Victoria Vikes in the national final, with Juliet Redelaar scoring the game's only goal in the 58th minute to give York its first national championship and end Victoria's string of six consecutive national banners dating back to 2019.
Shifting the focus to 2026, York opens on the road at Back Campus Fields against the Blues, before hosting the Guelph Gryphons the next day in their first home game of the year. With the departure of the McGill Martlets from the OUA circuit, each team will now play the other six teams twice each, once at home and once on the road.
York's full 2026 schedule is detailed below:
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The Lions open the season against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sept. 12 in a rematch of the 2025 OUA championship.
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York opens the home portion of their schedule the following day against the Guelph Gryphons, as the teams renew hostilities after the Lions beat Guelph 1-0 in the OUA semis a year ago in what was the fourth straight OUA semifinal contest between the teams.
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The Lions host the McMaster Marauders on Sept. 19 as the two QEW rivals go toe-to-toe at Alumni Field. York won the only game against McMaster last season by a 6-0 count on their home turf.
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York concludes the week with a trip down the 401 to Waterloo, returning to the site of their 2025 OUA title to battle a Warriors team that fell to Toronto on home turf in the OUA semifinals last season.
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In their sole midweek game of the 2026 season, the Lions battle the Gryphons under the Thursday night lights in Guelph on Sept. 24. The two sides played to a 1-1 draw to kick off last season in Guelph.
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The red and white return home to host the Varsity Blues in the second matchup of the season between the OUA's two biggest rivals. The Lions earned a win and a draw against Toronto to close out the regular season last year, including a 2-0 triumph on home turf in the season finale.
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York concludes a two-game homestand on Oct. 3 as they host the Western Mustangs to kick off the final month of regular season play.
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The Lions then hit the road for their longest trip of the season, as they make their way to Queen's to go at it with the Gaels in Kingston. The Lions blanked the Gaels in the Limestone City by a 3-0 count last season.
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A two-game road trip concludes Oct. 10 when York travels down to Hamilton to meet the Marauders in the second and final meeting of the season with McMaster.
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In their second-to-last home game of the year, the Lions welcome the Waterloo Warriors to town on Thanksgiving Sunday. The Warriors took the only matchup between the two teams a year ago, handing the Lions their lone loss of the season.
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York's final trip West in 2026 takes them to – well – Western, as they visit the Mustangs in the penultimate game of the season. The only matchup between the Lions and Mustangs saw the Lions invade London and come away with a 6-0 win.
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The Lions conclude the regular season hosting the Queen's Gaels on Senior Day at Alumni Field. The squads concluded a home and home last season at York with the Lions taking a 5-0 win to complete a weekend sweep of the Gaels in which they outscored Queen's by a combined score of 8-0.
YORK 2026 SCHEDULE
Sept. 12: at Toronto – 2:00 p.m.
Sept. 13: vs. Guelph – 11:00 a.m.
Sept. 19: vs. McMaster – 11:00 a.m.
Sept. 20: at Waterloo – 12:00 p.m.
Sept. 24: at Guelph – 7:00 p.m.
Sept. 27: vs. Toronto – 11:00 p.m.
Oct. 3: vs. Western – 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 4: at Queen's – 12:00 p.m.
Oct. 10: at McMaster – 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 11: vs. Waterloo – 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 17: at Western – 1:00 p.m.
Oct. 18: vs. Queen's – 1:00 p.m.
