A spirited second half wasn't enough to erase McMaster's first-half mistakes on Sunday.
The Marauders conceded twice in the opening 45 minutes, including a goal on the stroke of halftime, and fell 2-1 to the OUA West-leading York Lions at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Joey Cicchillo and Jarek Whiteman had goals for the Lions (12-0-1), who built their cushion atop the division to 11 points with the win.
McMaster's leading scorer Mark Reilly had the lone goal for the Marauders (8-2-2), who remain second in the division and four points clear of the third-place Western Mustangs.
The teams endured a cagey opening to Sunday's game, with York enjoying the bulk of possession but being comfortably held out of dangerous areas by McMaster. That trend was bucked in the 21st minute, when a misjudged back pass from the Marauder back line bypassed goalkeeper Angelo Cavalluzzo. Cicchillo was left with an easy finish, and made no mistake in slotting the ball home.
McMaster was struggling to hold the ball and build with any conviction, and York continued to dominate possession throughout the first half. With the field seemingly tilted in their favour, the Lions doubled their lead a minute before the break, as the Marauders failed to cleanly clear a corner. The ball bobbled through the area without a decisive touch until Whiteman got his head to it at close range and snuck his effort past Cavalluzzo.
Needing to find offensive thrust in the second half, the Marauders made several changes to their lineup when play resumed, with the noticeable introduction of Sasha Ricciuti along the right wing. Paired with the more aggressively-oriented fullback Nic Vecchi, Ricciuti's pace provided a welcome attacking outlet.
McMaster was the more dangerous of the two teams in the second half, but could not apply the finish until Reilly struck in the 84th minute. The forward got in front of the York defenders and raced onto an in-swinging corner kick, diving to head the ball low and past Colm Vance in the York goal.
Reilly's was a pretty goal, and one that the Marauders earned with their improved buildup. But he and his teammates simply ran themselves out of time on Sunday, as one final corner went for naught with Gersi Xhuti electing to play it short in stoppage time.
The Marauders will now conclude their regular season on the road, beginning with a crucial battle against the divisional rival Western Mustangs on Saturday, October 11.
