HAMILTON (October 16, 2021) -  The No. 9 McMaster Marauders lost 22-0 to the unranked Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks in OUA football action on Saturday at Ron Joyce Stadium in Hamilton, Ont.

Laurier used two early missteps by the Marauders to open up a 14-point lead minutes into the first quarter which was all the Golden Hawks needed to secure the win. McMaster was stymied the remainder of the game by the Laurier defence which handed the Marauders their third loss of the season, dampening their playoff hopes.

The 14-point lead came on two plays within the first five minutes of the game. The Golden Hawks' Ryan Long recovered a Cameron Guest (London, Ont) punt-return fumble returning it 36-yards for the opening score. On the next ensuing play from scrimmage, McMaster quarterback, Andres Dueck (Winnipeg), was intercepted by Patrick Burke Jr. who returned the ball 36-yards for the second touchdown

Laurier's Dawson Hodge added two field goals, and McMaster surrendered a safety to complete the Golden Hawks' 22-0 win.

A LONG TIME AGO: The last time the Marauders opened up the season 1-3 was over 13 years ago in 2008 when they finished 4-4. That Marauders squad would play in the postseason losing to the Golden Hawks 29-0 in the opening round of the OUA playoffs. Head Coach Stefan Ptaszek was just in his third season with the Marauders at the time. 

WILD WILD WEST: The loss hands McMaster a 1-3 record with just two weeks left to play in the regular season. Three teams now sit tied with 2-2 records, with the possibility of Guelph and Waterloo ending the day also with 2-2 records Waterloo meets Guelph tonight at 6:00pm (Oct. 16th).  McMaster needs to win out and will need help from other West Division opponents to secure a playoff position in the week's ahead. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS: 

1997 - The last time the Marauders were shut out by a visiting team in Hamilton. That year they lost to Guelph 26-0 on Sept. 13, 1997 in Greg Marshall's first year as Head Coach with McMaster. 

13 - The total number of sacks in today's game. Laurier tallied nine sacks total while McMaster had four.

7 - Drak Bodi (Hamilton) led the Marauders with seven tackles.

51 - Justin Allin's (Toronto) total rushing yards

UP NEXT: Week five of the OUA football schedule will see McMaster battle the York Lions at York University in a cross divisional matchup. After today's 25-2 loss against Toronto, the Lions are 0-4 and sit in last place of the OUA East division. The last time McMaster faced off against York was back on Sept. 14, 2019 with a 27-9 win in Toronto. McMaster holds an all-time record of 37-13 and has won the last 21 meetings against the Lions dating back to 1998.