No. 5 Gee-Gees pull out win against No. 9 Western (with VIDEO)

OTTAWA - A rainy and cool September afternoon wasn't enough to stop the uOttawa Gee-Gees, ranked 5th in the CIS, to battle back from a 13-19 deficit and beat the visiting number 9 ranked Western Mustangs. The final score was 20-19 in a thrilling Labour Day match-up at Frank Clair Stadium. It is the team's second win in a row.

Adding to the game was a boisterous crowd of 6,274 people, a large part made up by first-year 101 week students.

The game also marked uOttawa's first win against Western since 2007, giving the team a boost of confidence.

"I feel like we have big things coming for this season," said fifth-year defensive back Chayce Elliott, Burnaby, B.C., "especially winning against Western."

The Gee-Gees found themselves down early in the first quarter thanks to back-to-back field goals by second-year Western kicker Lirim Hajrullahu. By the end of the quarter, the Gee-Gees found themselves on the board thanks to third-year kicker Matt Falvo of Welland, Ont., trailing 3-6.

In the second quarter, the Gee-Gees would take a slim lead for the first time in the game thanks to a great pass from fourth-year quarterback Brad Sinopoli, Peterborough, Ont., to third-year receiver Ezra Millington of Newmarket, Ont. However, Western answered quickly with a touchdown of their own thanks to fifth-year receiver Mike Hegarty, leaving the score 16-10 for Western at half-time.

The Gee-Gees had two chances in the third quarter to again take the lead but were stymied each time by an effective Western defence who picked off Sinopoli's passes just outside the endzone.

"We're going to learn from these mistakes," said Sinopoli, "I can't be throwing those balls, but in the end we won and that's all that matters."

The fourth quarter provided much of the excitement for the game, as the energy of the crowd hit fever pitch. Down by seven after another Western field goal, uOttawa found themselves in possession with less than 1:30 to go. Thanks to Sinopoli and fourth-year receiver Steven Hughes, Ottawa, Ont., the Gee-Gees led an impressive drive down the field. With 30 seconds to go in the game, Sinopoli would connect with Hughes again for the winning touchdown. To seal the deal, Falvo would make his kick good for the extra point.

Gee-Gees head coach Jean-Philippe Asselin was pleased with his team's efforts.

"Win or lose, I think we played close to our potential today and that's a real positive."

uOttawa's next game will see them travel to ­­­Toronto to take on the York Lions on September 11, at 1:00 p.m., before hosting McMaster at Frank Clair Stadium on September 18.

Source:

Ottawa Sports Info