Box Score LONDON, Ont. – It was a battle of undefeated teams on Sunday evening at Thompson Arena as the Western women's hockey team went head to head with the UOIT Ridgebacks. Heading into Sunday's game, both teams were 3-0-0 in the OUA standings however it was the Ridgebacks who took the top spot in the end, defeating the Mustangs 3-1.
 
The Ridgebacks outperformed the Mustangs in the first period, scoring twice on 15 shots. Jackie Gibson picked up the first goal on a rebound off Mustangs goalie Kelly Campbell. The Mustangs were able to get several shots in on Ridgeback netminder Tori Campbell in the next few minutes, but turnovers resulted in the play ending up back down in the Mustangs zone and Mikaeli Cavell put the score at 2-0 in favour of UOIT.
 
"I thought we took them [UOIT] for granted in the first period, and they outworked us and got a couple goals," said Mustangs head coach Chris Higgins. "But after the first period I thought we were the better team. I thought we took it to them. They played good defence, but we weren't taking those light penalties I think we would have tied it up.
 
A four-minute spearing penalty for Ridgeback Nicole LoPresti was called late in the first frame and carried over into the second where the Mustangs played much better offensively. Still, their only problem was solving Ridgeback keeper Campbell who provided solid goaltending, especially when faced with a penalty shot. Mustang Jessica Sorensen, who was tripped on a breakaway, shot low on the penalty shot, but once again Campbell made the save. After 40 minutes, the score remained at 2-0 for UOIT.
 
Western did not give up however, and seemed to have a renewed energy in the third period. Their persistence paid off halfway through as Brianna Iazzolino put Western on the board. Now only trailing 2-1, the home team called Campbell in from the crease for the extra attacker late. A turnover in the neutral zone after the next face-off resulted in a breakaway for UOIT's Gibson. She easily scored the empty netter with eight seconds left, despite a great last-minute attempt from Katelyn Gosling to block the goal, and the Ridgebacks took the game 3-1.
 
"When we were down 2-0, we never quit. We battled, we battled, we battled and we just didn't get a break," said Higgins.
 
The Mustangs Kelly Campbell had a great night in net, turning aside 29 shots, while Ridgeback Tori Campbell stopped 18.
 
Next up for Western is a matchup against the Laurentian Voyageurs on Friday, October 18 at Thompson Arena. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. and fans from around the world can watch all of the action live on Mustangs TV.