Box Score LONDON, Ont. – Both Christian Douglas and Taso Bujouves recorded hat-tricks as the Western Mustangs men's soccer team defeated the Algoma Thunderbirds 11-0 to win their season opener on Saturday afternoon.

Quick passing and strong offensive attacks helped the Mustangs to victory as they claimed their first victory of the season.

"In the first half I thought we carried the play a little bit more effectively than we did in the second half," Mustangs head coach Rock Basacco said after the game. "In the second half I think the weather was a little bit tougher and the motivation gets a little bit tougher to play a team that—you know—first year in the league they're going to have some challenges as they go along."

Douglas, a third year striker, netted three goals late in the first half for the purple and white while Bujouves took over in the second half.
Also adding to the scoreboard were Alex Lewis, Jovan Ivanovich, Conor McFall, Parker Seymour, and Amad El-houni, all of whom were able to find the back of the net in the Mustangs' victory.

"Overall we were pleased with the goals we scored," Basacco said. "Our strikers each got hat-tricks and in terms of the quality of some of the goals I was pleased."

Ready to begin the quest to the OUA championships, the Mustangs started the game off strong, adding three goals in the first 14 minutes. While the Thunderbirds put up a strong defensive effort, the Mustangs' crisp passing and communication allowed them to control the game for the majority of the first half. Smart play in the attacking third saw the Mustangs' offensive unit putting the ball between the Algoma posts several times to leave the scoreboard sitting at 7-0 heading into half-time.

The second half saw temperatures swelter, but while the Mustangs appeared to slow down a bit they did not lose control of the game. While Thunderbirds made a few offensive pushes, the purple and white defence, led by Andrew Walton proved too much for the OUA newcomers. With a strong performance put in by all players, the Mustangs would go on to add another four goals before full-time to make the final score 11-0, with goalkeeper Ben Cowman earning the shutout.

With little time to rest, the Mustangs will face off against the Thunderbirds again on Sunday afternoon at Mustangs Field. Kick-off is set for 3:00 p.m.