HAMILTON, Ont. - After a big 3-2 victory over the Brock Badgers in Wednesday night's Round 1 playoff game, the McMaster Marauders now have their sights set on the OUA quarterfinal and the Western Mustangs. These two teams met in opening weekend of the 2022 season and ended with a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 final in favour of the Mustangs. The Marauders have found their stride in recent weeks and will look to continue the momentum all the way into the OUA semifinal. Both teams will need to perform to continue the playoff run.
McMaster at Western
OUA Round 2 Playoff
Mustangs Field | London, Ont.
October 29th, 2022 @ 1pm
McMaster and Western are familiar opponents with five contests between the two squads since 2019, including an OUA quarterfinal match-up three years ago. The Mustangs escaped with a 1-0 victory in that post-season contest so the Marauders will look to even the record on Saturday afternoon. The past five meetings have all been decided by one goal or less. The Marauders finished the regular season with 20 points and a 5-2-5 record and defeated Brock on Wednesday to reach the second round of playoffs while the Mustangs locked in the top seed in the OUA West to earn an opening round bye with 28 points and a 9-2-1 record.
The maroon and grey scored three goals off of set pieces from the corner flag to dominate the first half against the Brock Badgers in Wednesday's contest. Ignacia Jimenez (Ancaster, Ont.) was the playmaker on each goal, setting up Bryanna Caldwell (Tottenham, Ont.) twice and Joelle Chackal (Ottawa, Ont.) once to secure the victory.
With a semifinal berth on the line, the winner of Saturday's contest will earn the right to be named one of the best in the west and contend with a top-level OUA East opponent later this week.
Last Time Out
In the first match-up between the two teams this season in London, Western came out of the gates strong, making seven attempts at goal in the opening 45 minutes. The home team broke through in the 23rd minute with a goal from Avarie Thomas to go up 1-0. The one goal advantage stood at the conclusion of the first half. After the break, the Mustangs continued to be an attacking force but the defensive core for the Marauders held strong. Western thought they had doubled their lead late in the game but the goal was disallowed, keeping McMaster within striking distance. Just minutes later, McMaster substitute,
Bryanna Caldwell (Tottenham, Ont.), found the back of the net (unassisted) to get the maroon and grey on the board - 1-1. The scoreline stood, securing a point for the visitors.
Two days later, the Marauders looked to build on the momentum from the previous day, this time at home. Early on, Western started fast as they had in London, putting several shots at the Marauder netminder,
Alexandra Mudie (Burlington, Ont.). Mudie stood tall, ensuring none of the Mustang attempts found the back of the net. Just after halftime, Western struck. Hannah Vickers' shot squeaked past Mudie to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead. Despite outshooting Western 6-4 in the second half and pushing for an equalizer, time ran out on the Marauders.
Game Coverage
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