Western vs Laurier September 25 60-0

Western continued its undefeated start to the season Friday with a commanding 60-0 victory over Laurier, improving to 4-0 after controlling the game from the opening minutes.

The Mustangs wasted little time establishing themselves, scoring within the first few minutes to take a 7-0 lead. #12 Tashlyn Jackson followed with Western's second try before #11 Kattrina Wright broke through the Laurier defence for another. Western continued to find openings throughout the first half, eventually stretching the lead to 26-0.

#7 Kennedy Johnston added another try, followed by a successful conversion that pushed Western ahead 33-0. Later in the half, #15 Reilly Cattell found space and carried the ball for more than half the field before getting it to Johnston to finish the play.

By halftime, Western held a commanding 40-0 advantage.

Despite the margin, head coach Josh Campbell said the Mustangs entered the matchup expecting Laurier to make them earn every opportunity.

"We knew that Laurier was going to be a good team and they were going to make us work for every point that we were seeking to get," said Campbell. "We knew we'd have to get a lot of go forward and sort of work for each other and let the ball do a little bit of work."

Western came out of halftime determined to maintain the same intensity that had built its lead. Cattell, who helped create one of Western's biggest plays of the opening half, started the second with another strong run and this time took it all the way herself.

"This week we've had a lot of focus on just keeping our aggression up and our defence to a high standard," said Cattell. "It was just reinforcing our values of being relentless on defence and just having the mindset of it's still 0-0."

Cattell credited her teammates and Western's system for creating the space behind her biggest runs.

"I think it's mostly just my other teammates as well. They're the ones who hit the gap first and I saw an opening and just took it," said Cattell. "It's really a team sport. We're working together."

Western continued to move the Laurier defence from side to side, creating gaps for its runners while maintaining pressure whenever Laurier gained possession.

"They set me up and allow me to just hit that gap," said Cattell. "We're using our systems, moving them left to right, and just once a gap opens, we go."

As the second half progressed, the game became increasingly physical. Laurier continued battling despite the deficit, while Western remained composed and refused to allow the change in pace to affect its defensive standard.

"Our group is built for those moments. We thrive in those moments," said Campbell. "We like when the game gets physical and we like playing on the defensive side of things when we have to."

Around the 67th minute, #13 Solene Coutts fought through a contested play to add another try for Western as the Mustangs continued to protect their shutout.

Later, #20 Abbigail Aikman broke into open space and raced toward the try line. Laurier's defence managed to chase her down before she could finish the play herself, but Aikman recognized the support alongside her and found #16 Meghan Fife to complete the opportunity.

"I first got in a good pass from my teammates, and then I just hit the line and there was space," said Aikman. "I saw a gap and I just went for it."

For Aikman, the play showed the trust Western has developed throughout its lineup, particularly when decisions have to be made quickly.

"You have to have trust in each other, 'cause we know that each play builds off the other, and we need to have each other's backs," said Aikman. "I think we're really good at that, and everyone trusts each other, so we have a great, great team."

Even with the game firmly under control, Western continued playing with the same intensity that had built its early lead.

"We didn't want to play down. We wanted to keep our intensity high," said Aikman. "We wanted to keep getting better, and we just had that mind of keep going."

The Mustangs closed out the afternoon without surrendering a point, completing the 60-0 victory and improving their record to 4-0.

For Campbell, the undefeated start has Western where it wants to be, but the team's focus remains on continuing to improve as the season progresses.

"That means we're exactly where we want to be," said Campbell. "We're aiming to peak for playoffs, and we're aiming to be better every week we step on the field. And we got a big challenge coming up next week. So we're looking forward to it."

Cattell echoed that approach after the win, viewing the result as a reflection of Western's work rather than a reason to become comfortable.

"It's very rewarding because it's reinforcing all of the work that we've put in this past week, but again, we're not gonna let that get to our heads," said Cattell. "We're gonna stay humble and stick to our standards, stick to what's working, and still focus on those 1% to get better every week."