Playing in their first payoff game since 2014, the Lancer football team headed to the nation's capital to face the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the OUA quarter-finals.
 
The Lancers broke 40-points for the first time this season, but came up short, falling 43-30 to the host Gee-Gees.
 
STATS
Lancer quarterback Danny Skelton went 23-33 for 268 yards and a touchdown. Joey Zorn led the Lancers on the ground and in the air with 56 yards rushing, a touchdown, and 63 receiving yards on 5 catches.
 
Brady Lidster went 2/2 on field goal attempts and 4/4 on the extra point. Defensively, the blue and gold were led by Devin Veresuk with 8.5 total tackes (7 solo, 3 assisted).
 
GAME FLOW
Ottawa opened the scoring with 3:56 left in the first quarter with a four-yard run by J-P Cimankinda, and then took a 10-0 lead with a 41-yard field goal from Campbell Fair.
 
Windsor struggled to get anything going in the first quarter and were finally able to put some points on the board early in the second. The Lancers completed a 10-yard field goal, but the Gee-Gees were called on an offside penalty giving Windsor back the ball at 1st and 10. Windsor capitalized on their second chance as Christopher John charged through the pile for a 2-yard touchdown run. 10-7 Ottawa.
 
Lidster's 25-yard field goal tied the game at ten before the Gee-Gees went on an 11-point run to lead 21-10. Just before the half, Zorn grabbed the snap at the third yard line and hopped into the endzone to make the score 21-17 Ottawa heading into halftime.
 
The third quarter was all Windsor to start as their offensive and defensive lines were wearing down the Gee-Gees. Lidster kicked things off with a 26-yard field goal early in the quarter, before Daniel Thrasher accepted a 13-yard pass from Skelton to put the Lancers up 27-21.
 
After conceding a safety to Ottawa on the final play of the third quarter, Liam Hoskins picked off Ottawa and returned the ball 34-yards for a Lancer touchdown. Windsor led 34-23 with 13:30 to go in regulation.
 
The hosts responded in a big way. On their next drive, Cimankinda rushed 16-yards into the endzone and the Gee-Gees converted the extra point into two, making the score 34-31. Ottawa then recovered a Christopher John fumble to return the ball 60-yards to take the final lead of the day, 38-34.
 
Another safety and a field goal would close out Ottawa's scoring. Windsor battled hard to close the nine-point gap late in the fourth. John had another short run for the final score of the game, going 1-yard into the endzone to make it a three-point game, 43-40.
 
Stay tuned to goLancers.ca for more information on the Lancer football team throughout the year.