WATERLOO, Ont. - The McMaster Marauders mens soccer team opened the season with a back-and-forth affair in Waterloo on Friday evening. Despite battling back from 4-1 down, the Marauders came up just short, falling to the Waterloo Warriors by a 4-3 final.

Both teams threatened early but it was the host Warriors who recorded the game's first goal in just the 3rd minute of play. The Marauders equalized four minutes later with a goal from Joseph Guindy with an assist from first year Marauder, Gianluca Bianchi. Waterloo converted a penalty kick in the 8th minute to retake the lead and added one more goal in the 45th minute to lead 3-1 at the halftime whistle.

The second half was more of the same from each team. The Marauders and Warriors tallied six shots apiece in the second frame. Waterloo maintained its attack and found the back of the net in the 84th minute to make the advantage three. McMaster, the defending OUA Champions, responded quickly with Guindy's second goal of the game, this time on a pass from Jacobo Cordon Cruz. In the closing minutes of play, Cristian Alfieri beat the Warrior goalkeeper to cut the lead to one. Rookie Jameel Durhan recorded the assist. Despite scoring two goals in the final five minutes of play, 4-3 is as close as the Marauders would get, falling just short of the comeback.

Ethan Cagalj was between the posts for the Marauders, making seven saves throughout the 90 minutes of play. Guindy tallied three shots while Ed Bryan Florent and Amir Shirazi combined for four.

Next Up 

The Marauders will compete at Ron Joyce Stadium for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon when they host the Warriors for the second half of the opening weekend home-and-home. Game time is set for 3:15pm.