The Queen's Gaels spoiled Guelph’s homecoming with a gritty 27–17 win in a defensive battle. It took some time for the offence to get rolling, but the consistency of the tricolour’s offensive “big three” — Alex Vreeken, Jared Chisari, and Nathan Falconi — ultimately carried Queen’s to victory.
The first quarter was a stalemate, with both sides trading punts and field position.
Guelph struck first in the second frame when quarterback Marshall McCray found the end zone for his first of two scores on the day, but Queen’s responded — halfback Mateo Tuioti hauled in a touchdown from quarterback Alex Vreeken, making it a tie game at 7–7.
The teams exchanged field goals before halftime, sending it to the break at 10–10.
The third quarter saw another defensive slugfest, with Queen’s taking a narrow 13–10 lead heading into the fourth after a field goal from kicker Tyler Mullan.
Another Marshall McCray touchdown gave Guelph a brief 17–13 advantage mid-way through the fourth.
From there, the Gaels “big three” took over. Running-back Jared Chisari powered through the line for a momentum shifting touchdown. And after a big defensive stop, wide receiver Nathan Falconi broke free for a monster score from Alex Vreeken to seal the win.
Queen's improves to (5-2) on the season and will get a well deserved break next week before finishing off their regular season against the (3-3) Windsor Lancers. Guelph drops to (2-5) and will need to win against (2-4) York Lions on Oct. 18, for any hope of making the playoffs.
Key Stats:
- (Queen’s) QB Alex Vreeken, 20 for 28, 273 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- (Queen’s) RB Jared Chisari, 13 Attempts, 110 yards, 1 TD
- (Queen’s) WR Nathan Falconi, 4 rec, 115 yards, 1 TD