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Weekend Watch: Lions begin women’s field hockey OUA title defence at home

U SPORTS Staff

Welcome to Weekend Watch, your weekly preview of all the best U SPORTS action that can’t be missed across Canada West, the OUA, RSEQ and AUS.

For U SPORTS Football Weekend Watch, click here.

Women’s Field Hockey

McGill @ York

Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT

Coming off two consecutive OUA titles and a pair of U SPORTS Championship appearances, the York Lions open the women’s field hockey season on Sunday against the McGill Martlets. The match is one of four slated on the day, as all seven teams will descend on Alumni Field in Toronto for the first action of the season.  

Over the last two seasons, the Lions are 27-1-2 in the OUA regular season and conference playoffs. But York has come up short on the U SPORTS stage on both occasions - earning the silver medal after being swept by the Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds and Victoria Vikes in the 2017 and 2018 best-of-three national championship series.

The Canada West regular season begins next week.

Full Schedule

Men’s Soccer

No. 1 Cape Breton vs. UNB & UPEI

Friday, 6:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. PT

Sunday, 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT

AUStv

The AUS season officially opens Friday, with the U SPORTS silver medalist Cape Breton Capers hosting the UNB Reds and UPEI Panthers this weekend. The Capers finished 2018 with a 14-1-2 mark, en route to capturing their third consecutive conference title before falling in extra time to the Montreal Carabins in a dramatic rematch of the 2017 national championship.

Reigning back-to-back U SPORTS Coach of the Year Deano Morley heads into sixth season at the helm, while AUS Player of the Year Peter Schaale returns for his senior season, after suiting up for the Halifax Wanderers in the Canadian Premier League (CPL) over the summer.

Full Schedule

Women’s Rugby

No. 1 StFX @ UPEI

Friday, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT

The reigning U SPORTS champion and No.1-ranked StFX X-Women kick off their 2019 season with a visit to Charlottetown to battle the UPEI Panthers on Friday. The X-Women posted a 7-0 mark in 2018 in AUS and U SPORTS play, en route to their sixth national title. StFX has won the national banner every other year since 2010 and every conference championship but one since the sport’s inception in 1998. 

The X-Women will be led by conference All-Stars Carleigh Walters and Sarah Hoenig, while AUS Rookie of the Year Brinten Comeau is back to lead the Panthers in her second season after a standout six tries and 30 points in her debut campaign.

The Canada West season also opens this weekend, with defending champion and No.8-ranked Calgary visiting UBC Friday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, before travelling to No. 6 Victoria Sunday for a CW final rematch with the Vikes at 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT.

In the RSEQ, No. 4 Ottawa hosts No. 3 Laval in a rematch of the 2017 national final.

Full Schedule

Women’s Soccer

No. 2 Trinity Western @ No. 9 UBC & Victoria

Friday, 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

Canada West TV Presented by Co-Op

The Canada West women’s soccer season kicks off Friday with a Top 10 matchup, as the No. 2 Trinity Western Spartans visit the No.9 UBC Thunderbirds. Trinity Western captured the CW championship and U SPORTS silver medal last season after going 17-2-0, before falling to Ottawa in the national final. With 2018 U SPORTS Player of the Year Seina Kashima lost due to graduation, look for the Spartans to turn to CW Second Team All-Star and captain Jenaya Robertson, who scored six of the team’s conference-leading 44 goals last year.

In RSEQ action, the No. 4 Montreal Carabins host the No. 3 Laval Rouge et Or Friday at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT in a battle of the last three conference championship matches.

Full Schedule

Watch all games on Canada West TV Presented by Co-Op, OUA TV and AUStv. RSEQ teams stream their games independently – check your local listings.

Note: Due to the impending Hurricane Dorion in Atlantic Canada, several AUS games have been rescheduled from their original timeslots this weekend and the schedule remains subject to change. Check the AUS website and follow @AUS_SUA for updates.