Windsor Lancers

Mustangs use second half surge to defeat Lancers at Alumni Field

9/28/2019 4:55:00 PM

The Lancer Football team battled hard and hung in early with the defending Yates Cup champions before eventually falling 58-25 to the Western Mustangs on Saturday at Alumni Field.

Lancer Head Coach Jean-Paul Circelli was coaching against the Mustangs for the first time after spending the past four seasons on the coaching staff at Western.

Circelli's young Lancers led 17-16 late in the first half over the Mustangs before a Western touchdown with only seconds to go in the first half gave the visitors a 23-17 advantage at the break.

The second half was dominated by the Mustangs as the struck for a pair of touchdowns early in the third quarter to take control of the game and a 37-17 lead.
 
For Windsor, quarterback Sam Girard threw for 396 passing yards while completing 26 of 35 passes and two touchdowns. Western QB Chris Merchant passed for 340 yards on 18 of 27 passing including four touchdowns and one interception. Lancer receiver Matthew James led all receivers with seven catches for 180 yards and a touchdown.

On Saturday, the visitors got on the board first as Merchant connected with Savaughn Magnaye-Jones for an 82 yard pass play to take the 7-0 lead.

The Lancers would respond quickly on the next drive with a touchdown of their own to tie the game at 7-7. Girard found Matthew James down the field on an 82-yard pass play for the touchdown to even the score.
 
After a Western field goal gave them a 10-7 advantage, the Lancers would take their first lead of the game on a one yard score by Girard.
 
Following a pair of field goals by both teams and with the Lancers up 17-16 late in the first half, the Mustangs scored on a five-yard run with seconds to go in the first half to take a 23-17 lead into the break.

In the second half, the Mustangs struck early as they scored on a 12-yard run to take a 30-17 lead. Minutes later, they would add to their lead as Merchant connected on a 42-yard pass play to make the score 37-17 at 9:52 of the third quarter.

With the Mustangs leading 44-17, the Lancers continued to battle and picked up a pair of interceptions by Daniel Metcalfe and Nathaniel Vaikla to put the Lancer offense back on the field.

The Lancers would add a late touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to make the score 44-25. The Mustangs added a pair of late scores of their own to make the final score 58-25.

Up next the blue and gold will host the Laurier Golden Hawks next Saturday on Alumni Weekend for their final home game of the season. Kickoff is set for 1pm on Saturday, Oct. 4.