A scalding loss: weary Warriors fall to Golden Hawks in Battle of Waterloo

A torrent of purple and gold flowed into Warriors Field. Cheers erupted as the Golden Hawks hunted down the Warriors. This was the scene during Saturday’s Battle of Waterloo, where Laurier claimed a 41-19 victory.

Despite ongoing construction at University Stadium forcing Laurier to host at Warrior Field, the home advantage still seemed to be with the Golden Hawks.

Home field advantage is difficult to maintain, however, when going against a team that hasn’t lost an OUA game since 2023. With a quarterback that made headlines for being drafted into the NFL last year, partnered with an OUA championship, Laurier has been the team to beat.

The Warriors started the game off strong. Despite being a team with opposing fortunes to Laurier’s for the past few seasons, they held the reigning champs to a scoreless first quarter.

The Warriors fought valiantly to form an offensive drive that went past three downs. But the cracks were visible. Injury after injury destroyed most of their momentum as key players walked off the field. A Laurier touchdown from receiver Ethan Jordan to open up the second quarter finally opened the gates to a Hawks victory.

Despite that, a kick from rookie Evan Astolfo put the Warriors on the board halfway through the second. Warriors half-back Evan Basalyga found another touchdown late in the second quarter to bring the score to 21-10 at halftime.

Unfortunately, hopes of a comeback faded away in the second half.

In the Warrior’s backfield, fans saw receiver Yinka Ogunnote gallop and juke around Laurier defenders during every punt return. His touchdown in the third quarter was the last time the team entered the Golden Hawks’ endzone.

With a 1-3 record, the Warriors are looking to salvage their season next week against the Queen’s Gaels, at Warrior Field. The Gaels are 2-2 after defeating Toronto 44-6 in Toronto.