In a dramatic finish to the regular season, the University of Windsor Lancers football team secured a hard-fought 31-28 victory over the Queen's Gaels in Kingston, Ont. on Saturday (Oct. 18) afternoon, locking up third place in the OUA and setting themselves up for a home playoff game next weekend at Alumni Field. 

STATS 
Weagbe Mombo led the ground attack with 147 rushing yards, powering the Lancers offense throughout the game. Quarterback Nick Dimovski added 73 rushing yards while throwing for 140 yards and a key touchdown pass. On defense, Dylan Simpson and Ahmad Taylor each recorded five total tackles, with Taylor also recovering a critical first-quarter fumble. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 
The game opened with Windsor getting on the board via Brady Lidster. This was followed by an early defensive highlight, as linebacker Liam Hoskins forced a fumble from Gaels quarterback Alex Vreeken, with Ahmad Taylor recovering the ball deep in Queen's territory. The Lancers settled for a Lidster field goal to make it 6-0. Queens answered back late in the first quarter with a touchdown drive capped by Anthony Lio, giving the Gaels a narrow 7-6 lead after the first fifteen minutes. 

Windsor responded with poise in the second frame. After a rouge from the Gaels extended their lead to 8-6, Dimovski found Colby Ginn in the near right corner of the end zone for a touchdown just before halftime. With the converted point, Windsor took a 13-8 lead into the break.  

Queen's came out strong in the third quarter, as Jared Chisari powered the Gaels into Lancer territory, setting up a touchdown by Cedric Smith to reclaim the lead at 15-13. But Windsor was far from finished. Behind strong runs by Mombo and Liam Talbot, the Lancers marched down the field, culminating in a Dimovski QB sneak from the one-yard line, giving Windsor a 21-15 lead. A conceded safety made it 21-17, and the Lancers defense held strong, with Harrison Daley picking off Vreeken deep in the Windsor red zone late in the third to stall any Queen's momentum.  

The Gaels clawed back in the fourth. After a pair of big completions, Vreeken scrambled for a touchdown to put Queen's ahead 25-21. A field goal on their next drive extended the lead to 28-21. A massive run by Mombo put Windsor deep in the red zone, and with just under three minutes remaining, Dimovski capped the drive with his second rushing touchdown of the day. Lidster's extra point knotted the game at 28. With Queen's unable to respond, Windsor mounted one final drive. Dimovski led the offense into field goal range, and with just 32 seconds left, Lidster drilled a clutch 49-yard field goal to give the Lancers a 31-28 lead. The defense held firm on Queen's final possession, and with the clock running out, the Lancers celebrated a gritty road win — and a third-place finish in the OUA standings. 

UP NEXT 
The Lancers wrapped up the regular season with back-to-back road wins and momentum on their side, finishing with a 5-3 record. They will now turn their attention to a home playoff matchup next Saturday (Oct. 25) at Alumni Field against the Ottawa Gee-Gees, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at golancers.ca/tickets and the action can be streamed live on oua.tv.