LONDON, Ont. - The Mustangs hosted the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Sunday afternoon but were unable to find the score sheet, losing 3-0. The game was a physical battle that demanded a high level of defensive awareness from both sides as scoring chances were hard to come by.
 
The game was the second of two straight home games against Toronto opponents, after defeating Ryerson 3-1 on Saturday. The nationally ranked Mustangs expected a tough competition today from the undefeated Varsity Blues, who entered the week ranked in fifth place on the latest CIS Top 10. 
 
The first period maintained a steady pace, yet neither side took many risks. Both teams were effective in keeping shots to the perimeter and gave up little in the way of scoring chances. 
 
Both teams killed off a penalty each, but Toronto carried a Kristi Riseley hooking call with them to the break, with the score tied at 0-0. Shots after one were twelve for Toronto and eight for Western.  
 
Western wasn't able to capitalize on the power play returning from the intermission, and the score remained tied.
 
The physicality amped up from there but neither side was able to find the back of the net. That was, until Western fell two skaters down and found it difficult to hold off the Blues.
 
With Western playing a low and tight triangle on the kill, Blues defencemen Cristine Chao was able to fire a shot on net that was tipped through goaltender Kelly Campbell's five hole by forward Taylor Day, giving the Varsity Blues a lead they'd take into the third period.
 
In the third, the Mustangs upped the pressure, hemming the Blues in their own zone for shifts as a time. The Mustangs line of Lindsay Kirkham, April Clark, and Evra Levesque strung together a few great shifts in a row for the Mustangs, putting pressure on the Blues defenders and gaining offensive possession below the red line.
 
Unfortunately, the purple and white couldn't crack Blues goalie, Hailey Farrelly, who recorded the shutout in her first OUA game. Defensively, the Blues helped Farrelly by keeping the Mustangs to the outside, even on Western power plays. Farrelly stopped all 23 shots she faced. Not to be outdone by her counterpart, Campbell stopped 29 of the 31 shots she faced in the loss.
 
Several minutes later, after an offensive zone faceoff was lost, the Mustangs were unable to control a Blues counterattack, and surrendered a second goal off the stick of Sonja Weidenfelder just past the midway point of the period. Riseley rounded out the game's scoring, recording an empty net goal with less than two minutes remaining to secure a 3-0 win for Toronto.
 
The Mustangs will be back in action next weekend when they head to Nipissing on Friday evening before travelling to North Bay for a Saturday afternoon contest against the Nipissing Lakers.