LONDON, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks came within one win of an OUA championship berth and a trip to nationals, but ultimately dropped a 33-25 decision to the #5-ranked Western Mustangs in their OUA men's rugby semifinal Saturday night at Alumni Field in London.

The match-up marked the second OUA playoff meeting between the programs since 2017 and carried significant stakes. A Laurier victory would have secured a place in next week's OUA final and an automatic berth to the McTavish Cup, the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship, in Langley, BC.

Laurier was also coming in with momentum, having defeated the Toronto Varsity Blues on the road a week prior. 

Instead, it was Western that advanced after holding off a determined Golden Hawks squad in a tightly contested battle.

The Mustangs, who finished second in the OUA standings with a 5-1 regular-season record and earned a first-round bye into the semifinals, built just enough separation to withstand several Laurier surges throughout the evening.

Ali Reda led the Golden Hawks with 15 points, scoring three tries. Devonne Henry added 10 points on a try, conversion, and penalty goal.

Western answered with five tries of its own, getting scores from Owen Serjeantson, Garin Schroeder, Brek Ball, Nolan Priestly, and Spencer Voegeli. Ramiro Wentzel added a conversion and penalty goal to help secure the victory.