LIONS LOOKAHEAD SOCCER, FIELD HOCKEY CONTINUE POSTSEASON PUSHES, COURT SPORTS KICK OFF WITH BASKETBALL OPENING ON HOME FLOOR

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Seasons are starting and playoff pushes are continuing in earnest for the York University Lions. 

Women’s soccer advanced to the OUA quarterfinals with a win last week over Windsor in Round 1, while men’s soccer and field hockey begin their postseasons this week after finishing off their regular seasons with convincing victories. 

Football just barely missed out on the playoffs after a hard-fought, heartbreaking 24-21 loss to McMaster after having the ball inside the final minute with a chance to tie. 

On the ice, women’s hockey got in the win column with a solid 3-1 victory over the TMU Bold, avenging a tough final-seconds defeat to their crosstown rivals in the season opener. The men’s team, meanwhile, picks things back up after not playing an OUA-sanctioned game in 12 days. 

Finally, court sports kick off this weekend with the return of basketball and volleyball. The basketball teams take to the Tait courts this weekend, hosting Laurier and Ontario Tech, while volleyball visits Trent for a pair of matches. 

Here’s what’s going on in the den this week: 

PLAYOFF GAMES

MEN’S SOCCER 

After finishing first in the OUA West and earning a first-round bye, the Lions men’s soccer team opens its postseason Wednesday night in the OUA quarterfinals against the Guelph Gryphons. Guelph is coming off a dramatic Round 1 win over the Laurier Golden Hawks in penalties (6-5) after the game went scoreless for 120 minutes. York and Guelph met twice during the regular season, with the Lions earning a 3-0 win in Guelph on Sept. 13 while the Gryphons salvaged a 0-0 draw in the rematch on Sept. 16 at York Lions Stadium. The last time these teams met in the playoffs was the 2021 OUA championshipwhere the Lions nearly rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the final 10 minutes to tie, but fell 3-2. Wednesday’s game kicks off at 7:00 pm from Alumni Field. Admission is free. With a win, they will host the winner of Wednesday’s Ontario Tech-Toronto quarterfinal on Saturday. 

WOMEN’S SOCCER 

At the same time the men’s team is kicking off, the Lions women’s team will do the same in London against the Western Mustangs. York returned  to the postseason after a one-year absence in 2023 – their first time out of the dance in a decade – with a 1-0 win over the Windsor Lancers on a 68th-minute winner from Breanne Desa. The Lions and Mustangs met only once in the regular season, in the penultimate game of the year. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on Oct. 11 at Western in a game in which the Lions salvaged a point and stole two from the Mustangs thanks to an 83rd-minute goal from Kalifornia Mitchell. The last time these two sides met in postseason play was 2018 when Western came into Alumni Field and took down the Lions 3-2. With a win, the Lions will visit the winner of Wednesday’s Queen’s-Nipissing quarterfinal on Saturday. 

CROSS COUNTRY

Meanwhile, the cross country team is preparing to head North for the OUA championships just outside North Bay on Saturday, looking to finish their season on a high note before the track and field season begins. The Lions had a solid showing at the Bayfront Open on the Friday prior to the Thanksgiving weekend, setting seven personal bests and six other season best times. The men’s race begins at 11:00 am with the men’s event beginning at 12:00 pm. 

FIELD HOCKEY

The field hockey team takes its final step towards the U SPORTS championships with the OUA Final Four, hosted by the top-seeded Toronto Varsity Blues. The Lions play their semifinal at 1:00 pm on Saturday against the Guelph Gryphons. They will look to return to the OUA championship for the third consecutive year and look to win it for the second time over that span. Should they beat the Gryphons – whom they downed 1-0 in the home opener on Sept. 22 – they will then play the winner of the Waterloo-Toronto semi-final on Sunday in the gold medal game at 2:30 pm. A loss to Guelph would see them play the loser of the other semi in the bronze medal game on at 12:30 pm on Sunday. 

REGULAR SEASON GAMES

WOMEN’S HOCKEY 

After returning to the win column on Sunday, the Lions women’s hockey team heads back on the road for the first of a three-game road trip on Thursday night when they visit the Guelph Gryphons. With the Lions now playing in the OUA West after the addition of Carleton and Ottawa to the OUA East, this will be the first divisional game of the season for York. While each team faces each other twice, this (and all other divisional duels) will play a big role in deciding tiebreakers and, thus, postseason position at season’s end. The Lions were swept in the season series last year, and will look to get back to .500 with a win. Puck drop is at 7:30 pm on OUA TV. 

MEN’S HOCKEY

The men’s hockey team, meanwhile, returns home after playing naught but a non-conference game at Western Michigan last weekend to host the Toronto Varsity Blues at Canlan Ice Sports. The Lions are 0-3-1 to start the new season, with their lone point coming courtesy of an overtime loss to the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks on Oct. 11. They welcome in a Toronto team that sits fourth in the OUA West with a 3-3 record, and an even goal differential. York will look for its first win of the year Friday at 12:00 pm. You can get your tickets here or stream live on OUA TV. 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Lions women’s basketball team is back for a new season with a strong optimism for what 2024-25 can bring after what was a solid finish to the 2023-24 campaign. They host both the Laurier Golden Hawks (6:00 pm – Friday) and Ontario Tech Ridgebacks (1:00 pm – Sunday) on opening weekend, with a chance to get off to a solid start before heading onto the road for two tough matchups in Ottawa the second week of November. You can get your tickets to both games here. 

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s team also plays host to Laurier (8:00 pm – Friday) and Ontario Tech (3:00 pm – Sunday) this weekend, sporting almost an entirely new roster from the one that returned the program to the playoffs for the first time since 2019 last season. The Lions lost their two top scorers from last season in Josh Noton and Evan Shadkami, so it will be interesting to see the identity the team takes on. However, if one thing is clear, head coach Jermain Holness will get the most out of his group. You can get your tickets to both games here. 

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Lions women’s volleyball team returns to the court this weekend with a pair of games at Trent, Friday at 6:00 pm and Saturday at 4:00 pm, against the Excalibur. The Lions are back with a renewed sense of optimism after missing the playoffs last year, expecting to play a hard-nosed, effort-driven brand of volleyball they hope will help them improve their 6-14 record from a season ago. They will play an Excalibur team they beat twice last season on home court in late January, with a chance to build up some early momentum. 

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

The Lions men’s volleyball team also takes on Trent on opening weekend, with first serves flying at 8:00 pm Friday night and 6:00 pm on Saturday evening. The Lions are looking to take that next step forward under now second-year head coach Jordan Taylor, after a 6-14 season in 2023-24. The Lions are expecting to make a return to the playoffs, and can make that road a lot easier by banking some wins early. They had an exceptional preseason, and will look to carry that momentum forward into the regular season beginning Friday night.