LONDON Ont. – A first-half goal from Christian Douglas and a strong performance in net from Ben Cowman helped the Western Mustangs earn a 1-1 draw with the CIS No. 1 York Lions on Sunday afternoon at Mustangs Field.

"I thought it was an evenly played game," said Mustangs head coach Rock Basacco. "They created a lot of opportunities, just as we did. I think it's a great credit to the guys, showing character to come back and get that goal after York went ahead 1-0. [I'm] very pleased with the performance."

With the tie, the Mustangs record moves to 4-2-3 on the year, and keeps them in third place in the OUA West Division, while the Lions stand at 7-0-2 on the season, and continue to lead the West.

Mustangs' fifth-year striker Christian Douglas helped the team to overcome the early 1-0 deficit by heading in the tying goal late in the first half, while being assisted by midfielder Amad El-Houni. El-Houni also made his mark by putting pressure on the Lions' defence, adding two shots on goal.

While Douglas provided the offence for the Mustangs, Cowman stood tall in net, stopping four shots in the win including a couple of highlight reel saves.

York came out of the gate aggressive, creating scoring chances off of two corner kicks within the first ten minutes of the match, yet key plays by Cowman and the Mustangs defence held off the initial attack. Despite the strong defence early, the Lions opened the scoring midway through the first half, leaving the Mustangs down 1-0. However, the Mustangs would quickly start an attack of their own, leading to the tying goal just ten minutes later.

Dynamic attacks from both teams would continue through the second half and into added time, yet neither would be able to capitalize, ending the match in a 1-1 tie.

Basacco praised Cowman for his performance in net, saying "Ben was outstanding in net. He has to be able to come out and challenge those balls that get played into the box because they're the most dangerous against us, and he did an exceptional job of that today."

Cowman was kept busy in the final minutes of the game, as York peppered the fifth-year goalie with shots.

"I was just trying to slow down the game," said Cowman. "They were all over us, so whenever I got the ball I just tried to calm everyone down."

The Mustangs will be back in action this Friday, September 30 when host the fifth-place MacMaster Marauders. The game is set to begin at 8:15 p.m. at Mustangs Field.