No. 3 Western defeats Queen's 43-12

Photo by Corey Lablans

Queen's lost to No.3 Western 43-12 at Richardson Stadium on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Queen's couldn't capitalize on a streak of Mustang penalties in the first quarter, which gave the Gaels multiple chances on Western's goal-line. The Mustangs put up a strong goal-line stand, but Queen's got on the board first to take an early 3-0 lead on a Dillon Wamsley (London, Ont.) kick from 10 yards out.

Western was not to be denied. Their defence got things started, forcing Queen's to concede a pair of safeties, which gave the Mustangs their first lead of the game early in the second quarter.

Western didn't look back, as Garret Sanvido put up a pair of touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, en route to a 19-3 Mustangs lead at halftime.

The Gaels picked up their only touchdown late in the fourth quarter, when Queen's gambled on third down from the two yard line. Billy McPhee (Burlington, Ont.) found Alex Carroll (Victoria, B.C.) in the flats to cap off an 81-yard drive, narrowing the score to 26-12.

But the hometown team couldn't mount a comeback, as Western put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter, scoring two more touchdowns and a last minute field goal to earn the 43-12 win.

The game was lost in the second and fourth quarters, as the Mustangs blanked Queen's 17-0 in each.

"I thought that the conditions today hurt us," said head coach Pat Sheahan. "We are a little bit more finesse on offence and the conditions hurt us. Overall our team is getting better and I'm happy about that. It's an uphill battle there is no question about that. We have a game next week, we know that and we need to be ready. If we win that football game there is a completely different complexion on the season. The events of this week certainly weren't the best but it has come and gone now."

Leading the Mustangs charge was quarterback Will Finch, who threw for over 300 yards and one touchdown, while also running for over a hundred yards on the wet grass to be Western's leading rusher.  Jean-Gabriel Poulin had nine total tackles to lead Western's defence.

Carroll had the best day for the Gaels, picking up 88 receiving yards and a touchdown in the loss. McPhee finished the day 19 of 37 for 214 yards, while Derek Wiggan (Toronto) led the Queen's defence with nine total tackles, including six solo tackles and two tackles for losses.