HAMILTON, Ont. — In front of a sold-out Homecoming crowd at Ron Joyce Stadium, the McMaster Marauders (1-3) defeated the Guelph Gryphons (1-4) 25-15 on Saturday afternoon.

The Marauders showed early defensive strength in the first quarter, holding off the Gryphons' offence. Guelph opened the scoring with a team safety, followed by a touchdown, to take a 9-0 lead into the second quarter.

McMaster responded early in the second, as Lucas Barresi (Hamilton, Ont.) scored a touchdown to ignite the crowd. Michael Horvat (Hamilton, Ont.) added the convert to cut the deficit to 9-7. The Marauders later forced a safety to tie the game, before Horvat nailed a 20-yard field goal to give McMaster a 12-9 lead heading into halftime.

The Marauders controlled the tempo in the third quarter. Horvat added another field goal to extend the lead to 13-9 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, Luke Thalman (Winnipeg, Man.) connected with Aidan Nemeth (Vancouver, B.C.) on a 71-yard touchdown pass, electrifying the home crowd. Horvat's successful conversion pushed the lead to 20-9. He followed up with a 47-yard field goal and added two singles in a two-minute span to make it 25-9.

Guelph scored a late touchdown to close the gap, but McMaster held on to secure the 25-15 victory on Homecoming weekend.

Up next: The Marauders travel to London, Ont., to face the Western Mustangs (4-0) on Sept. 27.