Uzodinma Ukagwu | Sports Editor
Featured Image: York opens their season with an unblemished record. | Courtesy of York Lions
The Lions field hockey team played their opening two games of the OUA season on Sunday, first against the Guelph Gryphons, and then later against the McGill Martlets. The Lions tied 1-1 with the Gryphons and beat the Martlets 9-0.
The Lions first game against the Gryphons was a back-and-forth battle, but the Lions edged the Gryphons with seven shot attempts in total, compared to the Gryphons’ four.
Both goals came in the first half. The Lions drew first blood when rookie forward Chloe Walton scored the first goal of her young Lions’ career in the 20th minute, assisted by Frankie St Louis, to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
The Gryphons rallied quickly and responded with a goal of their own in the 30th minute to even the score at 1-1. Both sides were unable to score a winner for the rest of the game, as it finished in a 1-1 draw.
The Lions returned to the field for their second game of the day at 4 p.m. in what turned out to be an impressive 9-0 pummelling of the Martlets, demonstrating why York was crowned OUA champions last season.
Jaslan Stirling, the reigning OUA scoring leader, quickly got the Lions on the board, as she found the back of the net less than two minutes into the game.
Walton continued her excellent play from earlier in the day, tripling the Lions lead to 3-0, by scoring two goals in the 15th and 18th minutes.
Defender Sydney McFaul rounded out the Lions dominant display with another goal to extend the York lead to 4-0 in the 26th minute.
The Lions continued to showcase their complete command of the game by adding another five goals in the second half.
Stirling scored her second goal of the match at the restart, to extend the Lions’ lead to five. Lions midfielder Kyra McKinnon then scored in the 38th minute to bring the score to 6-0.
Stirling scored another two goals in the 52nd and 62nd minute, bringing her tally for the day to an incredible four goals, and the score of the game to 8-0.
The Lions finished off the action by scoring their last goal through defender Sara Vollmerhausen in the 66th minute, ending the match with a jaw-dropping 9-0 score, and beginning the new season in style.
The Lions look to continue their fine form this coming weekend, when they experience their first road trip of the season.
The first of those games is on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against the Queen’s Gaels in London, Ontario. They will then head to Guelph on Sunday for games against the Waterloo Warriors at 10:45 a.m., and the Western Mustangs at 2:15 p.m.
