Box Score HAMILTON, Ont. — In front of a roaring sold out crowd of over 5,000 fans at Ron Joyce Stadium, the Marauders went head-to-head against the no. 4 U SPORTS Western Mustangs.

The homecoming game was underway, and the Mustangs were first to receive the ball. The Marauders had a strong start, quickly getting their opponent's offense off the field.

During McMaster's opening drive, Keagan Hall (Burlington, Ont.) faced an immense amount of pressure from the 2023 Yates Cup Champions. Despite the constant pressure, Hall was able to move the Marauders up field. He found Jackson Cooling (Burlington, Ont.) on a well-executed post route which put the Birds in field goal territory. Ultimately, Western's defensive prowess proved too much for the Marauders. The visitors blitzed the Birds which ended in a Hall interception and a purple and white pick-six. After the first, McMaster trailed 0-10.

Western added three points to their score early in the second quarter. The Marauders responded with a 35-yard Michael Horvat (Hamilton, Ont.) field goal. Later, the Mustangs extended their lead to 20-3 off a 30-yard shot to McMaster's endzone. The visitors tacked on another seven with just under five minutes remaining in the half.

Then, second-year, Isaiah Sheilds (Caledonia, Ont.) sparked the crowd with a kick-off return that started the maroon's offense at Western's 50-yard line. After a great start to the drive, the Marauders kept pushing and moving the chains towards Western's endzone. Ultimately, the Birds settled for a short field goal which was nailed by Horvat. He later recorded another field goal during the final play of the half from the 45-yard line to narrow the gap on Western's lead. The Mustangs were up 30-9 after the second quarter.

The third quarter sang the same tune. The visitors opened the half with a touchdown to push their advantage to 37-9. Hall then completed a couple passes to Cooling. A lengthy run by Micah Duchene (Brantford, Ont.) found a hole up the middle to set up Horvat for his fourth completed field goal on the day. The score stood at 44-12 after three.

The Marauders finally found the endzone at the start of the fourth quarter. First-year quarterback, Lucas Barresi (Hamilton, Ont.) punched his way across the goal line. Barresi later recorded his second touchdown of the game after Luke Thalman (Winnipeg, Man.) executed on a quarterback-keeper, running the ball to Western's one-yard line.

Western took the week seven game, 61-26 after 60-minutes of play. The Birds will look to regain momentum as they travel to Waterloo, Ont. to face the Warriors (0-4) next Saturday, October 11.