HAMILTON, Ont. - The McMaster Marauders men's soccer team hosted an OUA quarterfinal Saturday afternoon and earned a 2-1 win over the Guelph Gryphons, the defending OUA Champions.

The Marauders played to a draw and loss with the Gryphons earlier this year and were looking to get even in the rematch. McMaster attacked early and often and broke through in the 40th minute. Senior, Miles Green (Toronto, Ont.) found second-year, Amir Shirazi (Oakville, Ont.) in the box who slotted it past the Guelph goalkeeper. The Gryphons outshot the Marauders 8-6 in the opening half but, at the break, it was the Marauders who held a 1-0 lead.

McMaster continued the attack when they returned to the field. Shirazi was taken down inside the box just 10 minutes into the second half and was awarded with a penalty kick. Despite the Guelph goalkeeper making the original save, Shirazi followed up on the rebound and fired it into the back of the net to make it 2-0 for the home team.

The defending champions fought back and were awarded a penalty kick for a handball in the box in the 62nd minute. The Gryphons made no mistake and narrowed the Marauder lead to just one.

With under 30 minutes to go, Guelph pushed for the equalizer but the McMaster defensive core held strong and made the necessary clearances to keep the game at 2-1.

Deep in extra time, the Gryphons had one last chance to tie things up on a free kick just outside the box but Ethan Cagalj (Stoney Creek, Ont.) denied the visitors to send the Marauders through to the OUA semi-final.

McMaster and Guelph combined for 25 shots during the contest. Shirazi led the attack for the Marauders with six shots, all of which were on target. Cagalj faced ten shots on goal, making nine saves in the win.

Next Up 

The Marauders will now host an OUA semi-final on Wednesday night against the Nipissing Lakers. Kick-off is set for 7pm.