Western opened the scoring midway through the first, on a 36-yard field goal by Lirim Hajrullahu (St. Catharines, Ont.). However, Queenβs jumped ahead on the next possession, as Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.) connected with Giovanni Aprile (Toronto, Ont.) on a 30-yard scoring pass, completing a four-play, 75-yard drive.
After a scoreless second quarter, the Mustangs took the lead back early in the third on a 30-yard interception return by Pawel Kruba (Windsor, Ont.) at 2:15, and a 67-yard single on the ensuing kickoff by Hajrullahu. A 27-yard placement by Dillon Wamsley (London, Ont.) cut the gap to 11-10 after three quarters.
Despite both teams averaging over 40 points per game until today, Saturdayβs contest turned on the Gaelsβ defence, which held Western to only a field goal from their offence.
The defence, which kept Western out of the end zone for the second time in a row, was led by linebacker Sam Sabourin (Stittsville, Ont.), who made 12.5 tackles and had two sacks. Fellow linebacker Justin Baronaitis (Rexdale, Ont.) had 6.5 tackles and an interception β his second in as many games.
The Gaelsβ secondary also had a strong day, with cornerback Matt Webster (Calgary, Alta.) making 7.5 tackles, while safety Ben DβAndrea (Calgary, Alta.) had the Gaelsβ other sack, and cornerback Andrew Lue (Markham, Ont.) had an interception and a knockdown β raising his total to six on the year.
Western was led by Aaron Handsor (Chatham, Ont.), who made 7.5 tackles, while Marcus Babic (Burlington, Ont.) had six tackles and two sacks.
On the offensive side, McPhee went 19-for-31 for 254 yards and the touchdown for Queenβs. Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.) caught a career-high eight passes for 105 yards. Aprile finished with five catches for 93 yards.
For Western, Donnie Marshall (London, Ont.) struggled, going 7-for-19 for only 109 yards. His brother, Brian Marshall, caught four passes for 69 yards.
Both teams made 19 first downs each, and Queenβs outgained Western 424-322. The Gaels committed three turnovers, while Western also turned the ball three times, including a pair of turnovers on downs courtesy of third-down stops by the Gaelsβ front line.
The Gaels (3-0) hit the road next Saturday (September 22) to face No. 1-ranked McMaster in Hamilton. The Marauders (3-0) picked up a win today in Carleton Place against the Gee-Gees. Western (2-1) is also in action on Saturday, as they host the Windsor Lancers (2-1).
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