London, ON - After getting a bye this week, Western faced the McMaster Marauders in their first playoff game, and came out with a commanding 5-0 win. Western saw strong efforts from all areas of the field, recording 5 goals and 0 shots against.
Western had a strong offensive first half, kickstarted by centre back Avarie Thomas who was brought in to take a penalty kick and scored her first playoff goal, putting the Mustangs up 1-0 in the 20th minute of the game.
Just 5 minutes later, forward Hannah Vickers gave a perfectly aimed pass to second year Mackenzie Bilotta in the box to head the ball in, making it 2-0 Mustangs. The Mustangs were able to continue the momentum and carry the 2-0 lead through to half time.
The second half brought more excitement for the Mustangs side.
57 minutes into the game, Western was awarded a corner kick. Reese Fowler took the kick, and Avarie Thomas headed the ball in the perfect spot for Medina Birani to get a touch on it, and one time it into the net. Midfielder Birani's goal made it 3-0 Mustangs, giving her team both energy and insurance.
When asked about her first playoff goal, Birani said "Off a corner kick Avarie headed it over to me and I just one-timed it into the net. It was pretty nice."
The Mustang's held strong for the second half, shutting down any McMaster offensive sparks early, and took over the game.
The last 10 minutes of the game resulted in an electric ending. In the 81st minute, midfielder Reese Fowler came down the left wing and shot it far top corner to beat the goaltender and make it 4-0 Western. Then, in the dying seconds of the game, Thalia Lewis got the ball from a slick back pass from Gabby Kohut and Lewis scored in a similar fashion to Reese. This last play of the game, made the final 5-0 Western.
"All the girls came in really strong, we had a really good week of practising and came out with our best effort, playing for each other," said goal scorer Medina Birani.
Head coach Martin Painter thought it was an excellent performance as well. "I thought we came out and were executing in every area of the field. I'm really proud of our players.
Western will continue their playoff pursuit against Ottawa this Wednesday. Come out and support your Mustangs as they take on the Gee-Gees!
