GUELPH, Ont. - Ben Cowman earned a shutout and two different Mustangs players scored to give the Western men's soccer team a 2-0 win over the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday evening at Gryphon Soccer Complex.
 
Following Wednesday's game, the Mustangs remain in sixth place in the OUA West Division with 16 points and a 4-6-4 record. Guelph is two spots ahead of Western, sitting at fourth place with 20 points and a 6-5-2 record.
 
Cowman stood tall in the Western net, stopping all six shots sent his way. Ben Caranci took the loss in the Gryphons net, turning aside one of the three shots he faced.
 
Cowman was successful in stopping Guelph, but the Gryphons kept him and the purple and white defence busy.
 
The Gryphons made their way into the Western end numerous times, earning five corner kicks in the first half. With Guelph in their end, the Mustangs took advantage of a number of Gryphons offside calls to regain possession and push towards the offensive side of the field.
 
With only five minutes left in the first half, the Mustangs took advantage of a corner kick to open the game's scoring. Midfielder Parker Seymour took the corner, which resulted in a successful finish by Christian Douglas to give Western a 1-0 heading into halftime.
 
A close score with a lead for Western led to both teams increasing the aggression in the second half. In the battle, the Mustangs earned four yellow cards and the Gryphons earned two.
 
Aside from the rough play, the final 45 minutes saw the two teams taking turns asserting dominance.
 
Guelph nearly tied things up in added time when Justin Springer fired a shot towards the Western net that bounced off the post.
 
Following Springer's shot, the Western Mustangs had an opportunity of their own, but unlike the Gryphons, they were successful in their attempt. With time dwindling, Stefan Rozek put the ball in the back of the Guelph net to end the game with a 2-0 score in favour of the Mustangs.
 
Western's next game, their second last of the regular season, will be this Sunday, October 18 against the reining CIS champion York Lions. The two teams have already met once this season with York taking a 3-1 win back on September 27 at Mustangs Field.
 
Game time for this Sunday's contest is set for 3:15 p.m.