Mustangs bring home OUA bronze in shootout win over Lancers

LONDON, Ont. - Fifth-year striker Amanda Boyle scored the tying goal in added time to mount an incredible comeback for the Mustangs, ultimately winning the OUA Bronze Medal with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Windsor Lancers on Sunday at Mustangs Field. 

"It was a tough game. Credit to Windsor, they battled really hard. The goal they scored early made it tough for us to play from behind, but we put a lot of pressure on them and eventually got the equalizer. We're excited with the win, and it's especially nice for our graduating players to win their last game," said Western head coach Martin Painter. 

After a tough loss to Queen's this past Friday, the Mustangs were hoping to bounce back and earn a third place finish to end the season, but the game was an easy one for the purple and white early on.

Windsor, who finished fourth in the OUA West during the regular season, would somehow keep the Mustangs from scoring after allowing two solid scoring chances and six corner kicks in the first half. The Lancers would eventually capitalize on Western's scoring drought as Windsor's Giulia Barile would score midway through the first half to give the Lancers a 1-0 advantage. 

The second half was much of the same for Western, as they attempted 11 more corner kicks, but after ninety minutes of play the Mustangs still found themselves down a goal in their last game of the season. It was not until added time that Boyle netted the team's first goal to tie the game 1-1 with just seconds left.

The game went to an eventual shootout, where first-year goaltender Megan Girardi once again stepped up under the pressure to turn away Windsor's final scoring chance, giving the Mustangs the 2-1 shootout victory. 

Boyle commented on what it meant to be able to give her team a chance to win with the final goal in regulation and a goal in the shootout, saying "honestly, it meant the world to me. Being my last game, my last goal, and scoring the penalty kick, I can't imagine a better way to finish my season."

"At the end of the day, we're third out of nineteen teams, which is a pretty good way to finish the season. Obviously we'd want to be in the gold medal game, but that's what next year is for," said Painter, highlighting his team's success and future potential. 

With their win over the Lancers, the Mustangs have secured a third place finish in the OUA playoffs and will end their season with the bronze medal. The win marks the end of a successful year for the Mustangs, one in which they were able to send off their veteran players with a shootout victory while gaining experience for their talented returning players.