LONDON, Ont. - Samuel Kahn helped lead the Western men's rugby team to a 36-10 victory over the RMC Paladins on Sunday afternoon on Alumni Field. 

With the win, the Mustangs move to 1-0 on the season and sit tied for first place in the OUA standings. The Paladin's loss will drop them to 0-1 on the season, as they will look to improve as the season progresses. 

Kahn, who sparked the scoring for the purple and white, was not the only Mustang to find success against the Paladins, as Michael Coldwell, Aidan Foley, and Jemarr Thomas each put up tries on the day. 

"It was a good day for us; I'm obviously happy with the result but I'm maybe even happier about the execution," said Head Coach Tom Dolozel. "RMC is a really physical team and they're always well conditioned, but we had a lot of guys step up and our defence was enough to give us that early lead." 

"We have a lot of new recruits and they all stepped up, that was the difference for our defence," said Kahn. "We just have to be a bit more instinctive with our plays, but the more we train together, the more we'll start to gel in the games." 

The Mustangs struck early in the opening half against the Paladins, as Samuel Kahn gave the purple and white an initial 7-0 lead following a conversion. Western continued to score seemingly at will against a physical RMC team, as Coldwell, Foley, and Thomas each scored to give the purple and white a 24-0 lead heading into halftime. 

Stephen Kim quickly opened the scoring to begin the second half for the Mustangs, scoring the try while Western converted once again to extend the Western lead to 31-0. RMC responded with their first and only try of the contest minutes later and continued to prove their physicality, but one final try from the purple and white ultimately allowed them to walk away with the 36-5 victory. 

"We obviously have goals that we set week-to-week and the improvements that we look to make after each game, but in the big picture, this team is going for gold," said Kahn. "It's early, but with more time together, we really think we can get there." 

"There were some first-game jitters out there today, but that's what you expect at the start of the season," said Dolozel. "We're in good shape. From our returning players to our new guys, I like what I saw today." 

Western will be back in action Sunday, September 9, where they will host the Guelph Gryphons in their first meeting of the season. The game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 P.M. EST.