Men's Soccer: Mac Secures Division's Second Seed, First Round Playoff Bye

The Marauders beat Algoma 3-1 in the final game of the OUA regular season Sunday.

Box Score McMaster's playoff destiny was in their own hands Sunday, and the Marauders did what needed to be done to secure the full three points on offer on the final day of the regular season.

Winning their second game in as many days against the Algoma Thunderbirds with a 3-1 decision at Ron Joyce Stadium, the Marauders secured second place in the OUA West and a crucial first round bye in the conference playoffs.

McMaster concluded the regular season with a 12-3-1 record and 37 points, finishing behind only the York Lions in the division. They will now enjoy a full week away from competition, before welcoming one of the first round winners to Ron Joyce Stadium for an OUA quarter-final on Sunday, Oct. 29.

Giving playing time to many of their younger players, the Marauders saw three players notch their first goal of the season in the win, with Bryce Millway, Joe Maggisano and Cordell Cockett each finding the back of the net.

Oluwunmi Nurudeen scored the lone goal for the Thunderbirds.

The combination of Millway and Maggisano fired Mac into a seemingly comfortable first half lead, with goals in the 17th and 33rd minutes respectively. But Nurudeen struck a minute before the halftime whistle to reintroduce some intrigue into the fixture in the second half.

Cockett's 52nd-minute goal re-established the cushion for the hosts, but drama remained to play out.

The increasingly-aggressive Thunderbirds saw two players booked in the 57th and 67th minutes, before tensions boiled over the 69th. Shoving ensued after yet another cynical foul from the visitors, and the end result was a total of three red cards, two of which went the way of Algoma as Brandon Syms and Riley Thompson headed to the locker room alongside Mac's Connor Russell.

Reduced to nine men, the visitors did little to challenge in the remainder of the afternoon.

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