Box Score For much of Sunday's contest, McMaster's defenders successfully held a concerted York attack at bay. But a single crack in that armour – a lone goal in the 49th minute – was enough to see the Lions past the Marauders at Ron Joyce Stadium.
Nour Ghoneim scored the decisive tally for York, who won the first game of their OUA season. McMaster, meanwhile, remains winless after their opening weekend, with a point from two games.
The visiting Lions opened the match strongly, controlling possession from the opening whistle and pinning the Marauders inside their own half. Despite struggling to pass out the back, McMaster adeptly squashed York's scoring chances before they could develop, stepping well into passing lanes and heading well out of danger. The Lions best chance to open the scoring came in the 39th minute, when Francesca Pendulla stepped into a long-range effort and smashed it just over the crossbar. Possession remained in their favour, but the Lions were unable to break down the Marauders defending before the halftime whistle.
The breakthrough followed shortly after the resumption of play, as Ghoneim got onto the end of a set piece in the 49th minute and directed her header inside the near post and past McMaster goalkeeper Cristina Abbatangelo. Few chances followed for the Marauders in the minutes that remained, although rookie striker Maila Carboni once again showcased her work rate and strength at the front of the line. The single best opportunity for an equalizer on the hosts' part came when Sarah Fettah attempted an audacious long-range effort in the 72nd minute and narrowly scooped her shot over the crossbar.
For the most part, however, York was comfortable with the lead and saw out the victory without major incident.
McMaster comes away from their opening weekend with one point from two matches, and will look to improve their fortunes in a week's time, when they return to Ron Joyce Stadium for matches against the Windsor Lancers and Brock Badgers on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6 respectively.
