LONDON, Ont. - First-year Kate Ram scored three tries to help lead the Western women's rugby team to a 74-17 playoff victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday afternoon on Alumni Field. 

Six other Mustangs ran in tries for the purple and white throughout the day, highlighted by the play of Veronica Harrigan, who also scored three tries, and Lexi Smith, who chipped in two tries and seven conversions on the day. 

"I think we did an awesome job of sticking to the game plan today," said Mustangs head coach John Weller. "Laurier is a really competitive team and they kept on playing until the end, but I think the performances we got from everyone on the roster really put us over the edge." 

"Our set pieces were really good today and we executed the way we were hoping to," said Ram. "As a first year, I haven't had a lot of playoff experience, but I love the intensity attached to every game." 

The Mustangs found their way onto the scoreboard early against the Golden Hawks, as Ram ran in the try to give the purple and white the early 7-0 lead. However, an incredible run from Laurier just minutes later would break through the Western line and tied the game 7-7. The Mustangs regained the lead midway through the half behind a try from Corrigan to give the purple and white the 12-7 lead. Harrigan added two more tries in the half while Smith chipped in one as well as the Mustangs went into the second half with a 31-7 lead. 

Ram continued to find success into the second half, scoring yet again to push Western's lead to 34-12 early in the half. Caitlyn McKay eventually broke through the Golden Hawks' line, making her way into the try zone and extending the lead to 41-12 for the Mustangs. The remainder of the half was much of the same as the Mustangs went on to cruise to the 74-17 victory. 

"We came into today with a lot of confidence after our last win, so today just boosted that confidence even further," said Ram. "The team always hypes each other up and brings the energy, so we always come into each game with a lot of intensity." 

"We played our brand of rugby until the end of the match and I think that says a lot about our resiliency," said Weller. "These playoff games are obviously higher-stakes than the regular season, but we've been approaching them all with a consistent game plan. We just hope it continues to result in wins." 

With the win, the Mustangs will continue their fight to stay in the OUA SHIELS division against York next Saturday, October 20 in Toronto, Ont.