KINGSTON, Ont. – A balanced attack combined with a 17-point second quarter helped the Western Mustangs football team pick up a 43-12 win over the Queen's Gaels on Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium.
 
With the win, Western's first victory in Kingston since the 2007 season, the Mustangs move to 2-0 on the year while the Gaels fall to 0-3.
 
The Mustangs used both the passing attack and ground game in equal measure on Saturday, recording 319 yards through the air and 318 on the ground. Leading the way was third-year quarterback Will Finch, who accounted for 431 yards of offence, with 319 yards passing and another 112 yards rushing, while also recording two touchdowns on the day.
 
Receivers Brian Marshall and Justin Sanvido led both teams with 116 and 100 yards receiving respectively, while Matt Uren earned 109 total yards, catching three passes for 19 yards with one touchdown and rushing for 90 yards on only eight attempts with one touchdown.
 
Defensively the Mustangs were led by two of their younger players in first-year linebacker Jean-Gabriel Poulin and second-year defensive back Jesse McNair. Poulin topped the Mustangs score sheet with 7.5 tackles, including six solo stops, while McNair followed just behind with six tackles and a sack. Fellow defensive back Josh Woodman recorded Western's one interception on the day while also recording 4.5 tackles.
 
On the other end of the field, Queen's quarterback Billy McPhee threw for 214 yards on 19-of-37 passing with one touchdown and one interception, while receiver Alex Carroll hauled in six passes for 88 yards and one touchdown.
 
Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter thanks in part to heavy wind and rain causing problems for the offence on both sides. Queen's opened the scoring with a 10-yard field goal off the foot of London native Dillon Wamsley midway through the first quarter, and that would be nearly all the scoring in the frame before Western recorded a safety in the final minute to cut the Gaels lead to 3-2 after the opening 15 minutes.
 
After a conceded safety from Queen's put the Mustangs in front a little over four minutes into the second quarter, Western extended their lead when Finch connected with Uren on an 11-yard pass to put the purple and white up 11-3. Zack Medeiros made it 12-3 with a single on the ensuing kick off before the Mustangs struck again with less than two minutes left in the frame, capping off an eight-play, 68-yard drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown from Garret Sanvido to send the game to the half with Western up 19-3.
 
Queen's cut the lead to 19-5 early in the following quarter after a high snap forced Western to concede a safety, however the Mustangs fired back just over three minutes later after an 18-yard run from Uren resulted in six points. The Gaels responded on the ensuing drive, marching 81 yards on 12 plays before finishing things off with a two-yard pass from McPhee to Carrol to make it 26-12 for Western after three quarters.
 
Those would be the final points of the day for the Gaels as Western rounded out the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown run from Finch, an four-yard run from Tom Marshall, and a 39-yard field goal from Medeiros to give the Mustangs a 43-12 victory.
 
Western is back in action on Saturday, September 20 when they take on the Toronto Varsity Blues in the team's annual Homecoming Game. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at TD Stadium and fans can purchase tickets online at westernmustangs.ca. Fans can also watch all the action live on OUA.tv, or on Rogers Cable 13 in London and listen on CHRW Radio or on Newstalk 1290 CJBK.