KINGSTON, Ont. (Aug. 26, 2023) - Queen's Football opened their season with a close 11-10 loss to the visiting Laurier Golden Hawks Saturday afternoon at Richardson Stadium.
 
Neither team led by more than four points at any point in the defensive affair, and Queen's held a 7-4 lead at halftime, but ultimately fell by one point to the Golden Hawks.
 
The Golden Hawks' strong offensive line allowed kicker Dawson Hodge to open the scoring with a field goal, grabbing an early 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter. A rouge later in the quarter increased Laurier's lead to 4-0.
 
"We couldn't really get into a rhythm (early). I think we only really ran six or seven plays in almost the entire first quarter, so a very slow start," said Queen's Football Head Coach Steve Snyder in a post-game interview. 
 
Queen's gained some momentum in the second quarter, led by an interception by defensive back Eric Colonna (Mississauga, Ont). That play led to Queen's lone touchdown of the game, when quarterback Alex Vreeken (Kingston, Ont.) found receiver Nathan Falconi (Palgrave, Ont.) in the end zone for a highlight reel 10-yard touchdown catch. Queen's took a 7-4 lead into half time.
 
Quickly in the third, Hodge added another field goal for the Hawks, evening the score to 7-7. Tyler Mullan (North Bay, Ont.) responded later in the quarter for Queen's, restoring their three-point lead at 10-7. Another Hodge field goal evened the score for Laurier heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Laurier took a one-point lead late in the fourth quarter with a rouge. Queen's managed to drive down the field late in the game but ultimately couldn't score, and the game ended 11-10 for Laurier.

Vreeken finished the game 17-27 for 169 yards and a touchdown.
 
Jared Chisari (Naples, ME) led Queen's in rushing with nine carries for 46 yards while Aidan O'Neal (Sackville, N.B.) led the team in receptions with six for 61 yards. Falconi finished the game with four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
 
Van Wishart (Courtice, Ont.) had a strong game on defence, finishing with 1.5 sacks, while Justin Pace (St-Lambert, Que.) led Queen's with a game-high 9.5 tackles (seven solo, five assisted).
 
Snyder said after the game the team can use Saturday's game as an opportunity to iron out some details moving forward.
 
"Overall, we need to improve as a football team, that's clear," Synder said. "It'll always be that case during Week One, but our team played hard, and there were definitely sparks of impressive play."
 
"You don't want to end up on the wrong end of one of these. But at the same time, we know it's a long season and the key is going to be sticking together and focusing on improving."
 
Queen's has a bye week next week before they travel to Toronto to take on the Toronto Varsity Blues on Saturday, Sept. 9.