Mustangs shut out Gryphons in home opener

LONDON, Ont. – Goals from Jess Friend and Sabrina De Nard provided the offence, while keeper Tori Edgar kept their opponents off the scoresheet as the Western Mustangs women's soccer team opened up their home schedule with a 2-0 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Wednesday night at Mustangs Field.

Although originally scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m., thunder and lightning in the area meant that the game's start time needed to be pushed back, resulting in a long delay before both teams set foot on the pitch.

"The kick off was pushed back over an hour, and still coming out with the quality and energy we did shows the character and the work these girls have been doing," said Western head coach Martin Painter.  "I thought we put in a good performance, probably our best performance this season. I thought we controlled possession very well, defended well when we had to, and created some good chances.

"[We] probably could've finished a couple more, but it's a clean sheet, it's three points, and it's a good overall performance."

This game gives the Mustangs a 2-0-0 record and the Gryphons at a 2-0-1 record in the OUA West division.

Jess Friend scored what would eventually prove to be the winning goal just over six minutes into the contest, capitalizing on an opportunity in front of the net to put the Mustangs up 1-0. During the remainder of the half, Western maintained much of the possession and racked up six shots on goal compared to three for the Gryphons, though they were unable to make any more successful finishes. 

The following 45 minutes were played out similarly with the Mustangs playing calm, controlled soccer. Six minutes into the half the Mustangs had another chance to score on a free kick just outside of their opponents' 18. Western's Sabrina De Nard managed to pierce through Guelph's wall, scoring the second goal of the game. The Mustangs defence would take control of the final half, preventing even a single shot on goal from testing Edgar, en route to earning the 2-0 win.

"We have trouble finishing. It's one of our weak points," said midfielder Stefanie Di Tella when asked about what the team needs to work on going forward. "We obviously try to work on it at practice a lot, but I think that the more we keep practicing that, the more goals will come. If we play the game that we can play and finish, I think we'll be okay."

The Mustangs have a few days to rest before the head to Sault Ste. Marie to face the Algoma Thunderbirds. Game time is set for Saturday, September 5 at 1 p.m. and on Sunday, September 6 at 12 p.m.

Source: Western Mustangs