Despite the rainy day at Richardson Stadium, the Gaels let the Golden Hawks slip away.
The Queen’s Gaels Football team, which was backed by a strong home crowd of approximately 8, 000 attendees, fell 47-32 to the U Sports top-ranked Laurier Golden Hawks on Sept. 5.
The game opened slowly, with only a safety giving Laurier a 2-0 edge after the first quarter. Both offenses soon found their rhythm, trading long drives and touchdowns—including a highlight from Russell Weir, ArtSci ’26, who scooped up his own fumble and ran it in. But the momentum swung sharply when Laurier struck on an 81-yard touchdown that left Queen’s playing catch-up for the rest of the game.
The Golden Hawks pulled away with two third-quarter touchdowns to seize a 29-12 lead. The Gaels answered with two touchdowns of their own, but the gap proved too large to close.
In a post-game media availability, Head Coach Steve Snyder credited Laurier’s talented team. “Giving credit to Laurier, they’re a fantastic football team, and it showed today,” Snyder said. However, Snyder was adamant that his team has “played tough against two of the best teams in the country,” referring to Laurier as well as third-ranked Western on Aug 23.
On the Gaels’ side, Alex Vreeken, Kin ’26, continued to show his high-end abilities with 391 yards of offense, including three touchdown passes. Justin Pace, ArtSci ’26, and Steven Kpehe, Kin ’26, combined for 13 total tackles as they tried to stop Laurier’s dynamic offense.
For the Golden Hawks, Tayshaun Jackson was a force in the punt returns, totalling 113 yards off the return, including a 98-yard return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The running game was headed by Quentin Scott, rushing for 115 yards. In the air, quarterback Cal Wither connected with wide receiver Ethan Jordan for 130 yards of offense.
Snyder took a moment to praise the fans who attended the game, saying, “I’m really happy for our students and the atmosphere that we were able to create.”
Next, the Gaels will go on the road to the University of Toronto, where they’ll play the Varsity Blues on Sept. 13, with a 4:00 p.m. kickoff.
Tags
Alex Vreeken, Justin Pace, Queen's football, richardson stadium, Russell Weir, Steve Snyder, steven kpehe, wilfrid laurier golden hawks
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