The Western Mustangs picked the perfect time to end a four-game losing streak against their rival Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Seven different players scored touchdowns as Western beat the Hawks 58-41 in the OUA quarterfinal at Alumni Field in London, Ont. on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. IN PHOTOS: Western Mustangs vs. Wilfrid Laurier Western quarterback Ben Casselman threw for 405 yards and two scores and added a rushing touchdown in the win. “I think we really leaned into our running attack a bit more,” said Casselman after a 55-39 defeat to those same Hawks last week. “We had the opportunity to look back at all the film this week from last game. It was the same team, same film and really dive into that and then also like offensive line play a great game. We were able to pound the ball and then open up the pass later.” Mustangs head coach Michael Faulds praised Casselman who was starting his first ever postseason game. “It’s safe to say we had the training wheels on him early on,” said Faulds. ”He’s gained the confidence of our coaching staff and of our players. He’s a leader within the group and everyone trusts him.” Western ran for 274 yards, led by Ethan Dolby who had 18 carries for 155 yards and a touchdown. He also had a big first down run late in regulation to seal the victory. “We’ve got to lean on our offensive line, especially in playoff football, whether it was Dolby, whether it was Jack Kelly,” said Faulds. “It didn’t matter who was touching the ball. Even Geoff Clubine there at the end and Ben Casselman had a couple big carries. We’re a fully balanced attack, so it keeps them guessing whether it’s through the air or it’s on the ground.” The biggest difference between Saturday’s win and the loss in the final game of the regular season was the play of Western’s defence. They had key third-down stops and forced turnovers which lead directly to Western scores. “He (Faulds) just he fired us up in the locker room,” said Dylan Tharby, who had a forced fumble and was in on nine tackles for Western. “He was kind of like, you know, last week was a fluke. It was kind of like now it’s do or die for us. He told us to walk in in a sense and be better.” Western did surrender 41 points, but Faulds says other than a few long scores, he was thrilled with his defence. “In the first half, our defense only gave up 14 points,” said Faulds. “Laurier in that second half is kind of knowing based on us, we kept scoring that they had to throw the ball around and do all that. So, you call the game a little bit differently that way,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of trust and confidence in our defense and our defense played so much better. We got pressure on their quarterback and we made it tougher on them. So sure, Laurier scores 41 points versus 55. But the 41 they scored was a lot tougher. It wasn’t one big play here or one big play there, they scored it was eight, nine or ten play drives.” Western will now face Windsor at Alumni Field next Saturday in the OUA Semifinal. They haven’t faced the Lancers since back in Week 2 when Casselman wasn’t the starting quarterback. “It should be a physical game and it should be a good one,” said Casselman. “Every time we play them it’s a physical one. We’re going to have to establish the run early and get back to the pass late. You know it’s another game.” Faulds says he didn’t even take part in Halloween because it was right back to the film room with the coaches to prepare for the Lancers. “It was our second game of the year, so it seems like so long ago but they’re a very talented team and they’re obviously well coached (by Londoner John-Paul Circelli),” said Faulds. “Their quarterback (Kareame Cotton) had a lights-out year throwing and running the football. They’ve got some great running backs and a defense that flies around. We haven’t watched film on them for about eight weeks or seven weeks. So, it’ll be getting acclimated with them in the film room.” Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at Alumni Field. The other semifinal features Ottawa at Queen’s.
