Visiting Laurier Golden Hawks edge Queen's Gaels in defensive battle, 11-10
Article content
The Queen’s Gaels’ offence manufactured a touchdown and their defence didn’t surrender a single major score, but those accomplishments in a tight defensive battle weren’t enough to boost them to victory in Ontario University Athletics football action Saturday afternoon.
Playing their 2023 home opener in front of an announced crowd of 2,182 at Richardson Stadium, Queen’s was edged 11-10 by the Laurier Golden Hawks in a game that did not have its outcome decided until the very last play of the fourth quarter.
Trailing 11-10 with the clock ticking down to 0:00 in the final frame, Gaels kicker Tyler Mullan’s 36-yard field goal attempt went wide right. Laurier’s Ethan Bayfield caught the ball eight yards deep in the end zone and ran it back 12 yards to the four-yard line, preventing Queen’s from tying the game with a single-point rouge.
The thrilling Queen’s drive — one of only four in the game for the Gaels that would last five or more plays — started on its own 31-yard line with 1:06 left. Three completed passes by quarterback Alex Vreeken totalling 42 yards, a 12-yard rush by Vreeken and a two-yard gain by running back Jared Chisari advanced Queen’s to within field goal range.
The loss was just Queen’s second in a regular season game dating back to the start of the 2021 campaign. The Gaels went 6-0 that season, and 7-1 last season. The Golden Hawks have now won four straight at Richardson Stadium, with their last loss in Kingston coming in 2013.
While the Gaels defence didn’t allow the Golden Hawks to penetrate the end zone via pass or run in the game, Laurier kicker Dawson Hodge, a 2022 U Sports second team all-Canadian and 2022 OUA first team all-star, had some success, booting three field goals and adding two rouges.
In the first quarter, a 38-yard Hodge field goal at 3:30 and a rouge on a missed 33-yard field goal attempt at 10:07 lifted Laurier into a 4-0 lead as the Gaels were not very effective offensively, going 2-and-out on their two opportunities with the ball.
“We couldn’t really get into a rhythm (early),” Queen’s head coach Steve Snyder told gogaelsgo.com in a post-game interview. “I think we only really ran six or seven plays in almost the entire first quarter, so a very slow start.”
After Queen’s took a 7-4 lead 7:53 into the second quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Vreeken to receiver Nathan Falconi, who made a spectacular leaping catch in the end zone over top of a Laurier defender, Hodge tied the game, 7-7, 2:29 into the second half with a 25-yard field goal.
Mullan, with a 12-yard field at 8:29 of the third quarter, lifted Queen’s back into the lead, 10-7, before Hodge knotted the score again, this time with a 37-yard field goal a little less than five minutes later at 13:09.
The teams played even in the fourth quarter until Hodge, on a missed 31-yard field goal attempt at 12:22, gained another rouge for what proved to be the game-winning point.
“Overall, we need to improve as a football team, that’s clear,” Synder said. “It’ll always be that case during Week 1, but our team played hard, and there were definitely sparks of impressive play.
“You don’t want to end up on the wrong end of one of these. But at the same time, we know it’s a long season and the key is going to be sticking together and focusing on improving.”
Laurier achieved 25 first downs in the game, compared to 17 for the Gaels, and accumulated 383 yards in total offence, with Queen’s gaining 259 yards. Through the air, Laurier outdistanced Queen’s 284-169, while on the ground, the Golden Hawks had a 114-99 advantage.
Individually, Golden Hawks quarterback Taylor Elgersma completed 29 of 38 passes for 284 yards, and teammate Quentin Scott led all running backs with 69 yards in 15 carries. Laurier’s Raidan Thorne, with 93 yards in 10 catches, and Ethan Jordan, with 75 yards in seven catches, led the game’s receivers.
For Queen’s, quarterback Vreeken went 17-for-27 through the air for 169 yards, while Chisari was the leading rusher with 46 yards in nine carries and Aidan O’Neal caught six passes for 61 yards.
Defensively, Queen’s was led by linebacker Justin Pace, with 9.5 tackles, seven of which were solo. Defensive back Jared Siewe also recorded seven solo tackles.
The Gaels are idle in Week 2 before returning to action on the road against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Sept. 9.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.