HAMILTON, Ont. - The McMaster Marauders men's soccer team is 14-6-4 against the Western Mustangs since 2010 and aimed to further improve its record in the opening weekend of the 2022 OUA season.

On Saturday afternoon, the Marauders dropped a 2-1 contest to the Mustangs but, on Sunday, the maroon and grey took the rematch by a 1-0 scoreline.

Saturday September 3 - London, Ont.

In the opening match of the young OUA season, McMaster looked to start on a high note under new Head Coach, Chris Markou. The Marauders recorded the first two shots of the game but just 13 minutes into the contest, the Mustangs found the back of the net, thanks to Brandon Miranjie. Western doubled its lead 20 minutes later and took a 2-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

Once back on the field, the two teams exchanged shots but it was Miles Green (Toronto, Ont.) who scored his first of the season in the 65th minute, to pull the Marauders within one. Amir Shirazi (Oakville, Ont.) recorded the assist. Tensions ran high in the second half and three yellow cards were handed out in under ten minutes. Despite McMaster pushing for an equalizer, the Mustangs held the Marauders off and escaped with the victory.

Ethan Cagalj (Stoney Creek, Ont.) was between the posts for the Marauders, making five saves throughout the 90 minutes of play. Green tallied three shots while Ed Bryan Florent (Orleans, Ont.) added another two.

Sunday September 4 - Hamilton, Ont.

After a tough loss to Western on Saturday, the Marauders looked to rebound on Sunday in front of a home crowd. Sparks were flying on both sides from the start with high energy and physical play. The Marauders got on the board early when 
Miles Green scored his second goal of the season in the 26th minute of play, to give McMaster its first lead of the 2022 season. Jordan Baker (Hamitlon, Ont.) grabbed the assist.

It wasn't until the 76th minute that the Mustangs had a true opportunity to respond when the referee awarded the visitors a penalty kick. Aiden Bauer-Marr stepped up to the spot but put the ball wide. That would be as close as Western would get to tying the game, giving the Marauders the 1-0 victory. 

In what seemed to be a shooting gallery, Western and McMaster combined for 26 shots, 17 of which were on target. On the offense, Green and Shirazi were responsible for six of the Marauders' shot attempts. McMaster's Cagalj recorded nine saves and the shutout.

The Marauders and Mustangs now share the same 1-1-0 record after the opening weekend.

Next Up 

The Marauders will now set their sights on Week 2's home-and-home with the Guelph Gryphons. Guelph will host on Friday night before coming to Hamilton for a Sunday matinee match-up.