LONDON, Ont. – A five-goal second half helped the Western Mustangs women's soccer team defeat the Waterloo Warriors 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at Mustangs Field.

"Credit to Waterloo, they were very good defensively in the first half and denied us many opportunities," said Western head coach Martin Painter. "Eventually you get tired, spaces open up, and it's really hard for anybody to defend for 90 minutes. Maybe [Waterloo] got a little bit tired, and we had some fresh legs we could bring on, which helped."

This win gives the Mustangs a record of 5-0-1, and they remain at the top of the OUA West Division. The loss puts Waterloo's record at 0-5-1.

With only one goal heading into halftime, the Mustangs came out strong in the second half. Amanda Boyle contributed the first goal, just over a minute in, and the goals kept coming from there. Lauren Winquist and Tianna Deluzio contributed two goals each, helping Western to tally five goals in the second half alone.

When asked about the first of her two goals, Winquist was quick to give credit to her teammates.

"I believe it was a cross from Amanda, and someone got a foot on it," said Winquist. "There was just a kind of scramble in front of the net. It was just on line. I tapped it in. It was a team goal, I would say."

The Mustangs may have been able to put the ball in the net numerous times in the second half, but the first half wasn't so easy. Western dominated much of the first 45 minutes, but they had difficulty getting past the Waterloo defensive line. The Mustangs persisted with lots of pressure when finally, in the last five minutes of the half, their work paid off. The Mustangs' pressure forced the Warriors' goalie and defense to lose the ball in their own end, and Stefanie Di Tella capitalized on the opportunity, scoring from just outside the 18 yard box. 

Western took the momentum from Di Tella's late goal into the second half, where their efforts on offence paid off. 

"I think getting a goal at the end of the first half helped. I think we started the next half with a lot of good energy," said Painter. "The first goal helped, but [we had] a little better energy, were a little more determined in the second half."

Up next, the Mustangs head to McMaster on Saturday, September 19 to face the Marauders at 1 p.m.

NOTES: The Mustangs defence prevented the Warriors from registering a shot on goal, giving keeper Tori Edgar her second shutout of the season…Sunday's win marks the second time in three years that the Mustangs have gone undefeated over the first six games of the season. Last year Western won their first five contests before falling to York in game number six, while in 2013 the purple and white remained undefeated throughout the entire regular season, compiling an 11-0-5 record…