On a sunny Saturday (Oct. 4) afternoon at Alumni Stadium in Windsor, Ont., the Windsor Lancers welcomed the undefeated Western Mustangs in a highly anticipated showdown. Backed by a raucous home crowd and riding the momentum of a three-game win streak, the Lancers looked to make a statement against one of the top football programs in U SPORTS. The Lancer defense had a fantastic showing, keeping Western's high octane offense out of the end zone for the first time all season, but the Mustangs who narrowly held on with a 15-6 win.
STATS
Weagbe Mombo led the running ground attack for the Lancers with 82 rushing yards, consistently finding gaps against the Mustangs defense. Lancers Quarterback Nick Dimovski delivered an efficient performance through the air, completing 20 of 27 passes, while Colby Ginn hauled in five catches for 56 yards. Kicker Brady Lidster made two field goals, his 74th and 75th career makes, to account for all of Windsor's points in the narrow loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Lancers defense was tested early and stood tall, setting the tone for the rest of the game. On the opening Mustang drive, Windsor was able to stifle top offensive threat Ethan Dolby and force a punt. Windsor's offense took advantage of early Mustangs penalties, pushing the ball into scoring territory. Dimovski led a composed drive featuring key runs by himself and Mombo to get to the Western 45-yard line. A clutch catch-and-run by Kareame Cotton brought the Lancers to the 35, but they were unable to convert on a field goal attempt, and the game remained scoreless. Western gained yardage through the air with a big reception from Brayden Misseri but were shut down by back-to-back hits from Lancer's defenders Dylan Simpson and Robert Springer, resulting in a turnover on downs. Windsor opened the scoring with a 35-yard field goal from Brady Lidster after a strong drive led by Mombo and Dimovski. The Mustangs responded by driving into Windsor's half late in the quarter, but a field goal attempt that struck the upright kept the Lancers in front as the quarter ended.
The Mustangs began the second frame with renewed energy, as quarterback Evan Hillock orchestrated a methodical drive that resulted in a made field goal to tie the game at 3-3 early in the quarter. Western began to show flashes of their top-ranked offense, with Dolby breaking through for significant yardage. Despite reaching the red zone, the Mustangs were again held out of the end zone and settled for another field goal, successfully converting to take a 6-3 lead heading into halftime.
The Lancers opened the second half with purpose. Mombo sparked the drive with a 12-yard run, followed by a smart Dimovski play-action pass to Colby Ginn, who gained 15 extra yards thanks to a Western penalty. Following a missed field goal, Western's offense responded with a string of strong rushing plays, but Windsor's defense again proved resilient, with Ahmad Taylor making a key tackle for loss to stop the drive. Mombo then electrified the crowd with a 33-yard sprint deep into Mustangs territory, and Dimovski followed with a sideline strike to Ginn, moving the ball to the 30-yard line. Another Windsor field goal attempt clanged off the upright, keeping the score 6-3. A late fumble recovery by Western near the end of the quarter gave the visitors momentum heading into the final frame.
A pair of key plays to start the fourth quarter – a 21-yard Mombo run and a spectacular catch by Evan Martin – had Windsor driving into Mustangs territory. On third-and-short, the Lancers chose to go for it, but were stopped just short, handing possession back to Western. The Mustangs extended their lead with another field goal to go up 9-3 with eight minutes left. Windsor responded with urgency as Dimovski connected with Mombo to move the chains. Lidster redeemed earlier his misses with his second make of the day to trim the deficit to 9-6 with four minutes to play. With the game in the balance, the Mustangs delivered a composed drive capped off by kicker Brian Garrity's fourth field goal of the day, stretching their lead to 12-6. Windsor had little time to respond, and the Mustangs defense held firm to secure the win after a fifth Western field goal was made.
UP NEXT
With the hard-fought loss against the No. 2 nationally ranked Mustangs, Windsor drops to 3-3 on the season. The Mustangs improve to 6-0, maintaining their undefeated season. Windsor will look to regroup and bounce back next week as they travel to the nation's capital to face the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Kickoff in Ottawa, Ont. is scheduled for Saturday, October 11 at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live via oua.tv.
