BURLINGTON, Ont. - Golden Hawks manager of football operations and head coach Michael Faulds has referred to the 2023 season as a "stepping stone."  

Given the purple and gold came just 15 points short of a Yates Cup last year, an OUA championship is clearly the next step for a program whose stated goals reach beyond even that. 

With the OUA releasing the schedule for the 2024 football season, Faulds and his team have a better idea of the path they'll need to take to get there. 

It looks a lot like last year's, as Laurier will face the same eight opponents they did in 2023, with Toronto and York the only teams they won't face.

And like last season, the Golden Hawks will open on the road, this time against the McMaster Marauders on August 24.  

They'll have an early bye in week two before playing their home opener on September 7 against the Guelph Gryphons. It'll be the first game at University Stadium following phase one of the Seagram Project, which includes the installation of a new turf field. 

The Golden Hawks will remain in Waterloo for the next four weeks. They host the Western Mustangs in a Yates Cup rematch on September 14, and then cross University Avenue for a road Battle of Waterloo on September 21. 

September 28 will see a Homecoming rematch with the Ottawa Gee-Gees, who spoiled Laurier's 2022 Homecoming with a last-play, game-winning 55-yard field goal. Senior Night will take place on October 5 when the Golden Hawks host the Queen's Gaels.  

They then close out the regular season with two games on the road. They'll renew their budding rivalry with the Windsor Lancers on October 11, before making a cross-province trip to face the Carleton Ravens on October 19. 

"It's always an exciting time when the schedule is released, it makes the upcoming season seem that much more real," said Faulds.  

"It is a little strange that we have the exact same two non-combatants, the York Lions and the Toronto Varsity Blues, but like last year this means we have a very tough schedule, and it will ensure that our teams will treat every single week with a ton of respect, and it will help us accomplish our goal of improving as a team each and every week." 

"We have a great nucleus of returning veteran players and we are thrilled with our incoming recruiting class. We are confident that we have the team to compete with anyone on the schedule, but that is easy to say, now we must continue to work hard every day to make it a reality." 

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