HAMILTON, Ont. — The McMaster Marauders (0-2) came up short against the Queen's Gaels (1-1), falling 27-22 on the road during their second game of the season.

Queen's took an early lead with two run touchdowns, a 15-yard run at 8:20 and a 5-yard run at 1:15 in the first quarter. The home team added a 32-yard field goal in the second quarter, extending the Gaels' lead to 17-0. The blue and gold scored again with a 1-yard run at 1:49, making it 24-0.

To reclaim a glimpse of hope, McMaster answered with a 1-yard touchdown run by Brayden Kelly (Hamilton, Ont.) with 42 seconds left in the half, cutting the deficit to 24-7. In the third quarter, Michael Horvat (Hamiltong, Ont.) added a single point with a rouge, bringing the score to 24-8.

The Marauders rallied in the fourth quarter. Jackson Taylor (Hamilton, Ont.) scored his first OUA touchdown, securing a 4-yard pass from Keagan Hall (Burlington, Ont.) at 12:07, and closing the gap to 24-14. The Gaels responded with a 45-yard field goal for Queen's, pushing the lead to 27-14.

McMaster continued to fight back. The defense came up big, recording a 15-yard safety. On the offense, Lucas Barresi (Hamilton, Ont.) scored a 1-yard run with just over a minute remaining. Despite the Birds efforts, time was not on their side and the final score stood at 27-22. The Marauders dominated the pass game, throwing 351 yards to the Gaels' 141, but fell flat on the ground as Queen's bested the Birds by 170 yards. A stand out performance was delivered by McMaster's Nicholas Adair (Kingston, Ont.) recording eight receptions and 153 yards on the day. 

McMaster will look to regroup as they head into their next game on Saturday, September 7 with home field advantage against the University of Toronto (1-0). The last time these two teams went head-to-head, the Marauders were defeated 31-19.

Purchase your single-game and season tickets here. The game can also be heard live on Y108, and will be streamed on OUA.tv.