LONDON, Ont. - Parker Seymour scored the game winner for the Mustangs with a well-placed penalty kick twenty minutes into the first half, but Western would put up another two goals before the final whistle to defeat the Algoma Thunderbirds 3-0 Sunday afternoon.
 
With their fourth consecutive win, Western's record sits at 4-1 to lead OUA West. Algoma remains in ninth, sporting a 0-4 record after Sunday's contest.
 
"We focused on our tactical qualities, in terms of being able to finish when we get opportunities," said head coach Rock Basacco when discussing the game plan heading into the match. "We made some changes in the lineup, got in some guys who haven't played very much - it worked out very well for us. We capitalized on the chances we had, it was good."
 
The first half of the game saw more aggressive play coming from Algoma than yesterday, with netminder Ben Cowman seeing an increased amount of traffic in the box throughout the first 45.
 
On the other end of the field Algoma's Nicholas Palazzi was kept busy with seven shots on goal – three of which connected with the mesh. First came Seymour's game-winning goal, which he quickly followed up with a second goal off a cross from Ahmed El-Houni.
 
"Ahmed took a good touch down the wing, beat a guy, and luckily he saw me running at the back post and played a really good ball," said Seymour when asked about the play leading up to his goal.
 
"Parker is probably one of the top players on our team," noted Basacco. "He always gives you that creativity, that movement on the ball that not every player has. We're very pleased with how he played today."
 
Chuka Ononye would record the final goal of the half, sending the ball past Palazzi with a header with five minutes to spare.
 
"Yesterday we had a ton of chances but found it hard to score," said Seymour. "Likewise, today we had a ton of chances but we got a couple more [in]. Especially in the first half, that's huge to ease the pressure off us a bit."
 
Western had plenty of opportunities to increase the score in the second half – recording an additional two shots on net - but Palazzi's net coverage kept the Mustangs from adding to the scoreboard.
 
"We created quite a few chances in the second half," said Basacco, "but you've got to give credit to [Algoma's] keeper. He made a couple of outstanding saves."
 
Meanwhile, Cowman stood tall in the Mustangs net to record the shutout.
 
The Mustangs are back in action Sunday, September 11 when they hit they head to Waterloo to take on the Warriors. Game time is set for 3:15 p.m.    
 
"We've had a lot of success against Waterloo, except for last year," said Basacco. "We've got a little bit of a vendetta, you might say. They ended up coming here and beating us which hadn't happened in eight or nine years. When we go play them in Waterloo, we're going to be ready for them."