HAMILTON, Ont. - A first half goal proved to be the difference, as the Western Mustangs men's soccer team dropped a hard-fought 1-0 contest to the McMaster Marauders on Sunday afternoon.
 
The narrow decision moves the Mustangs to 4-4-1 on the season which puts them into fourth place in the OUA West while the Marauders improve their record to 5-0-2 and maintain second place in the standings.
 
The game saw both teams evenly matched on offence throughout the first half, with Western holding a slight edge, directing five shots towards the Marauders net compared to four from McMaster. Mustangs Goalie Ben Cowman helped keep the Marauders off the scoreboard until McMaster's Mark Reilly notched the game's lone goal in the 27th minute.
 
With McMaster leading 1-0 going into the second half, the purple and white were unable to capitalize on a scoring opportunity to catch up to the Marauders. Despite Western pressing late in the game, the remainder of the match would remain scoreless for both sides, leaving McMaster to claim a 1-0 victory.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Saturday, September 27 when they host the Waterloo Warriors. Game time is set for 3:15 p.m. at Mustangs Field.