London, ON - The Mustangs Men's Soccer team started the 2026 season with a 1-0 win over Waterloo on Friday afternoon. The lone goal of the game came in the second half, while the defence battled to record a shutout with two saves.
Western secured a narrow victory over Waterloo, overcoming several challenges on the pitch. "We moved the ball well, but we had some scares," noted Head Coach Martin Painter. Despite Waterloo's dangerous transitions, the Mustangs managed to secure three important points. Painter acknowledged the difficulties of integrating a team in a short time, stating, "It's definitely a challenge trying to get a group of guys to get together, but the guys have been great." The match saw Western create numerous opportunities, although final passes and shots often fell short. "Their goalkeeper was excellent, and they defended well, but we persevered and managed to get one," Painter said.
GAME RECAP
The match commenced with Western establishing an early presence, though it faced a yellow card for Stefano Pelliccioni at the 45-second mark. Western's Alex Henderson contributed significantly to the team's offensive efforts, including a corner kick at 13:43 and multiple shot attempts. Despite these efforts, Western did not convert any opportunities into goals, with Michael Barker's shot hitting the post at 37:37 being the closest chance.
Waterloo struggled to create significant threats, with Omar Moghrabi's shot going wide left as the opening half concluded, with both teams tied at 0-0.
The second period saw a pivotal shift for Western as Gavin Goddard notched the only goal of the period at the 75:58 mark, with an assist from Stefan Musta.
"There were a lot of opportunities today; me personally, I had 4 better ones, just the ball's got to go in the back of the net. It just went in, it felt good," said Goddard. "Mentally it's kind of hard, especially when you're playing the whole game. It's chance after chance keeps getting called back, but finally it just went in, and it was such a relief."
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Waterloo's Max Aikman was issued a red card at 49:47; the Mustangs' offence continued to press, with multiple shots on target, including efforts from Panos Tzanetakis and Alex Henderson, both saved by Waterloo's goalkeeper Lorin-Alexander Lopez.
Ben Choudhry was solid in goal, recording two saves and keeping a clean sheet. Alex Henderson was active on the attack, leading the team with five shots, one of which was on target. Stefan Musta contributed with an assist, helping facilitate the team's offensive efforts.
NEXT GAME
The Mustangs will have a tough test with their second game of the opening weekend as they head to Toronto to take on York on Sunday.
"Understanding there's going to be some good days, there's going to be some rough days, not getting too high, not getting too low, just being ready for our next game, which is York on Sunday, which is obviously national champions, is a big test." said Painter.
Game time is set for 3:15 pm at York Lions Stadium on Sunday. Fans can stream the game on
OUA.tv.
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