The York University Lions women's rugby team began their 2024 campaign on the road against the Waterloo Warriors on Sunday, in Spencer Robinson's debut as Lions head coach. 

The Lions endured a heavy offensive push early in the match, falling behind 12-0 due to two straight Warriors tries. While the Lions were not able to fully recover from Waterloo's offensive pressure, York was highlighted particularly by Natashia Start, who put her team on the board with a penalty kick and later converted the Lions lone try scored by fellow Lion teammate Abbey Spiteri. Both players highlighted the offensive upside that the Lions hope to build on as the season progresses. 

Waterloo continued to expand on their early lead, capped by Philipa Reid, who scored a try and landed five try conversions in the match. Finishing with fifteen points, Reid was the focal point of Waterloo's strong offensive performance. 

The match finished with a final score of 50-10 in favour of Waterloo, and while it was not the result that the Lions desired to begin the season, there were certainly positive takeaways from the match that the team will surely continue to attempt to keep progressing on looking forward. 

LOOKING AHEAD: 
The Lions return home to host the Trent Excalibur in their home opener next weekend. Match start time is set for 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 7th at Alumni Field.