Uzodinma Ukagwu | Sports Editor
Featured Image: The Lions win their second, consecutive OUA title thanks in part to their explosive offence. | Courtesy of YorkU Lions
The Lions field hockey team brought home the OUA banner for a second consecutive season, after they won all three playoff games last weekend, in Waterloo.
The OUA final match was played against the Guelph Gryphons on Sunday. The Lions edged their opponents to win 1-0, securing the championship.
Jaslan Stirling scored in the 6th minute, early in the first half, in what turned out to be the only goal of the game.
The Guelph Gryphons tried several times to tie the game, especially in the closing minutes of the second half, when they laid siege to the Lions’ goal, attempting several consecutive corners. The Lions’ defense, however, successfully thwarted their attempts, and made sure of the OUA triumph.
To get to the finals, the Lions demolished the McMaster Marauders 16-0 in their first match on Friday, and then won 8-2 in their semi-final match on Saturday against the playoff hosts, the Waterloo Warriors.
Friday’s 16-0 victory against the McMaster Marauders was both the Lions’ biggest win, and the biggest margin of victory by any team in the OUA this season. It was utter dominance for the Lions, as they scored nine goals in the first half, and seven in the second.
Jaslan Stirling opened the goal floodgates in the 10th minute, and went on to score two more goals to complete the hattrick. Stirling was, however, not the highest goal scorer on the pitch this time, as rookie Amber Sandhu scored five goals. Frankie St Louis, and Haley Bannister each added two; and Sarah Vollmerhausen, Chloe Walton, Kyra Mckinnon, and Sarah Powell accounted for the remaining four goals to complete the Lions’ scoring fest.
On Saturday, the Lions continued their assault on the net, as they secured another high-scoring victory, defeating the Waterloo Warriors 8-2 in their semi-final match.
St Louis continued where she left off on Friday, opening the scoring in the 7th minute. Walton doubled the lead three minutes later and scored two more goals in the second half to complete the hattrick. The Lions were ahead 4-1 at the end of the first half, thanks in part to two goals from Sandhu.
Walton’s second half goals were the first of that period, but were followed by another Warriors goal that cut the Lions’ lead to four. Claire Church completed the Lions’ 8-2 rout of the Warriors, scoring the final two goals in the closing minutes of the game.
The OUA victory is the Lions’ ninth title. Before their OUA victory last season, the Lions’ had not won the provincial championship since 1996.
Speaking after the game, Stirling, who scored the winning goal in the final and finished first in scoring in the OUA, said she “couldn’t be prouder,” and “it was a surreal experience to be a part of the winning team two years and counting.” In regards to the final on Sunday, she revealed that “multiple players were injured, one with a broken knuckle, but that the team “played through the pain and did not give up, showing that they were deserving of the win.”
York will get another shot at national glory next weekend, when they take on the the University of Victoria Vikes in the U SPORTS championship. The Lions will play host to the Vikes in a best of three series at Alumni Field.
Games one and two are Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m., and, if necessary, game three will be Sunday, also at 2 p.m.
