London,ON - Western won 1-0 Sunday afternoon over McMaster to advance in the OUA playoffs.

The Western Mustangs faced off against the McMaster Marauders Sunday afternoon in an intense game, to say the least. 

The first half of the match was packed with action, although neither team could find the net to score. In the forty-first minute, Western showcased momentum, kicking three shots simultaneously to the Marauders goalie, but the score stayed unchanged. 

A number of yellow cards were given out during the game for both teams. In the forty-seventh minute, a player from McMaster took down Sophie Klysen. Klysen experienced pain but was able to recover and continue to show immense skill throughout the rest of the match. 

Shortly after, Sabine Gillie-Hardy was tackled by Marauders goalie while attempting to score. As a result, Western received the opportunity to take a penalty shot, earning their only goal of the game, scored by Giulia Geraci. 

As the game ended, the team and coaches rushed the field to celebrate the win. "I am very happy and very proud. It was a difficult game and McMaster is a very good team. There were some tough conditions and I thought we struggled with the first twenty five to thirty minutes and came out strong for the rest of the game and deserved to win" said head coach Martin Painter.

Martin was thrilled with the effort showcased by his team, but shared that next game the Mustangs will need to focus on starting with more strength. "I think today was important because there was a lot of pressure. It was our first playoff game and I think we want to start the game a little better next game. Just be a little bit more ready to deal with the speed - a little bit more ready to deal with the pressure and play the full ninety minutes. We are one game away from going to nationals again so we'll be focused on playing our best game of the season" said Painter. 

With the win, The Mustangs will head to Ottawa next weekend (November 1st & 2nd) for the OUA Final Four. The Mustangs will take on the #2 rank in the east, Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday night.