It was a hard-fought and contentious game, and one in which the Marauders would have rested easier had they been more clinical in front of goal.
But McMaster found the cutting edge in the 37th minute, and battled to a 1-0 victory over the Western Mustangs that extended their conference winning streak to five games.
The Marauders leading scorer, Mark Reilly had the game's lone goal, his fifth of the season. Angelo Cavalluzzo had the clean sheet for McMaster, who have not conceded a goal in their past five matches.
McMaster has now outscored their opposition 15-0 since a 1-1 draw with the Guelph Gryphons in their second game of the season.
A glorious early scoring chance fell to Marauder winger Gersi Xhuti, who found himself with only the keeper to beat and a headed effort as his only option. But Western keeper Ben Cowman closed Xhuti down quickly and blocked his attempt aside with his head.
Midfielder Marco Gennaccaro surged forward to present a threat in the 33rd minute, fizzing a midrange shot just over Cowman's bar.
McMaster's forward thrust was rewarded four minutes later, when Sasha Ricciuti cut wide down the left and sent in a quality cross that eventually fell for Reilly, who controlled and slotted calmly past Cowman.
That proved to be the only goal in what increasingly became a physical and heated contest. Both teams had their qualms with the officials, and each other, as Western searched fruitlessly for an equalizer.
The Mustangs best chance came in the 72nd minute, when a well-struck header forced Cavalluzzo into a superb diving save, as the Marauder keeper stayed low and composed to turn the shot around the post.
Western's effort was for naught, as McMaster claimed the full three points at the final whistle, keeping the Marauders comfortably in possession of the second position in the OUA West standings on 17 points. York remains the division's pace-setter with 25 points from nine matches, albeit with two more games played than the Marauders.
McMaster returns to action on Saturday, September 27, when the Marauders complete their season series with the Guelph Gryphons on the road. The two teams played to a 1-1 draw at Ron Joyce Stadium earlier this month, and Guelph is three points adrift of McMaster in the OUA West standings.
