The Mustangs Women’s soccer team took to Mustang Field to face off against the Guelph Gryphons yesterday afternoon. After tying York on Friday, the ladies came away with a well-earned 1-0 victory, solidifying their spot at the top of the Western division.

The first half started off with a consistent back and forth of possession with the first major scoring chance not coming until 17 minutes into the game. The Guelph striker found herself in a race to the ball against Western’s goalie, Megan Girardi. Girardi would prevail and send her team back up the field to get 3 or 4 consecutive shots on net.  Western commanded the majority of the first half, until a few fouls gave Guelph some momentum. The Gryphons kept the pressure up and had the purple and white struggling to keep the ball out of their end. A foul in the box on defender, Rachel Drouillard would end the half with a strong penalty shot from Guelph saved by Girardi.

The beginning of the second half showed a much stronger Mustang team. The team pulled a call early on in the second getting a free kick for the home team just outside the 18-yard box. Alyssa Desantis put the shot right in the middle of the box and teammate Sabine Gillie-Hardy capitalized and head the ball to the back on the net. The rest of the game remained an even match between the teams with Guelph losing some opportunities to poor ball control. The contest stayed tense and aggressive until the final whistle blew but Western was able to hang onto their lead and earn their fifth win of the season.