HAMILTON, Ont. — After dropping their season opener to the York Lions, the McMaster Marauders (0-2) were looking to rebound Saturday against the Queen's Gaels (1-1) in front of over 2,900 fans at Ron Joyce Stadium. Ultimately, the Marauders came up short, falling 38-4 in their home debut.

The Gaels, coming off a quadruple-overtime loss to Western, opened the scoring with a field goal after McMaster's defense held them at the goal line.

McMaster showed flashes early. Quarterback Luke Thalman (Winnipeg, Man.) connected with Jackson Taylor (Hamilton, Ont.) on an 11-yard completion before Brayden Kelley (Hamilton, Ont.) broke loose for a 25-yard gain. But the Marauders struggled to finish drives and trailed 26-2 at halftime.


In the second half, Aidan Nemeth (Vancouver, B.C.) hauled in a 32-yard reception and Anthony Sestanovic (Oakville, Ont.) forced a fumble to give McMaster a spark, but the Gaels continued to pull away.

The Marauders will look for their first win of the OUA season next Saturday when they travel to Windsor, Ont. to face the Lancers (0-1).