London, ON – The Mustangs Men's rugby team earned a hard-fought 21-19 victory over the Queen's Gaels on Saturday afternoon, the first win for the Mustangs over the Gaels since 2012.  

"It was a good, hard game that could've gone either way, but we're happy to be on the right end. The guys showed what we're capable of when we play with patience and trust our structure." Head coach Ian McLeod said.

Western opened the match with steady offensive pressure, keeping play deep in the Queen's zone and pushing for the first points. However, Queens struck first in the 24-minute mark with a try and conversion to go up 7-0. Western answered before halftime when #11 Ofiara broke through the defence for a clean try, and a successful kick from #15 Kletke tied the score 7-7 at the break. 

The second half saw both sides exchange momentum. Queens pulled ahead at the 47-minute mark, but #6 Schroeder powered across the line 10 minutes later, and the conversion put Western ahead 14-12. 

At 72 minutes, #22 Foley added another try for Western, with a conversion kick from #15 Kletke extend the margin to 21-12. Queens closed the gap with a late try and kick, but Western held strong in the final minutes to secure the 21-19 win. 

The Mustangs improve to 3-2 on the season and will close out their regular season schedule next weekend against the McMaster Marauders.