LONDON, ON – The Western Mustangs took on the Laurier Golden Hawks for the first time this season. After a pregame ceremony which honoured the Western seniors and their time spent at Western. The Mustangs defeated Laurier to the tune of 36-0 for their final home game of the season and what resulted in their third win.
 
When asked about the feelings after the win, Assistant Coach Bronwynn Corrigan said "Fantastic, definitely still work to do, but we're happy to finish the season with all the home wins."
 
The Mustangs have now posted consecutive shutouts on home turf. This is in large part to overall team defense which was tested early. Laurier got the ball to the Western scoring line within their first drive and kept the pressure early.
 
The mustangs found relief through their team communication and timely Golden Hawk mistakes which allowed the ball to be pushed further down field. Western maintained their footing and did not let the game slip early which wore down the Laurier players and showcased the same excellent Mustang Defense they have displayed all year.
 
Defense was integral to the win and Coach Corrigan agreed "Amazing defense start to finish, but we were a little too happy to play defense, we have to work harder to turn the ball over early and play offense, but really happy to continue our defense and also the offense we know we can play."
 
Both teams played stellar defensively which kept the game close. The Mustangs used their defensive ability to fuel their offence late in the first half. Jordan Orlando opened the scoring for the Mustangs with her try. Laurier gained momentum after the initial try so there was no time to celebrate.
 
Western managed to exploit another hole in the Laurier armor and managed a second try onto the scoresheet. This one being scored by Robyn Jefferies. Kicker Jenna Lawrence converted on both attempts to hold the score at 14-0 going into the half.
 
Western continued to control the game when the second half began. Taylor Hagen completed 2 tries which only elevated the spirits of the Mustang bench and helped to ensure the win.
 
She said, "I thought our team defense was great, we had it together and we were coming off the line hard which gave us the opportunity to get the ball back and push it out wide so we could get those tries."
 
The Mustangs began the game flat footed but once they found their game there was no coming back for the Golden Hawks. Laurier suffered injury and penalty trouble forcing them to play down a player for most of the game.
 
With this win Western improves to 3-0 on the season. Playing a team game and impressive defense has always been apart of their success. Western was able to dig deep after the first half was largely devoid of offense and pull out an important 36-0 win for the seniors who have played their last game at home.
 
Coach Corrigan said this about the senior women "We still have another game, so it's not the end of the season for them but finishing off with a win here will be a good memory for them."
 
Western looks to build off their latest win before their final regular season game at Waterloo on October 22.