The men’s rugby team’s perfect season came to an end in London on Saturday with a 13-7 loss to the Western Mustangs in front of a Homecoming crowd. With the win, the Mustangs improve to 5-0 and stand alone at the top of the OUA standings.

Captain Dan Moor said Western’s fans were an added challenge.

“They generated some excitement out of it,” he said. “It affects part of the game.” Moor said windy and wet field conditions slowed the team down. Slippery footing affected the Gaels’ ability to break away from the scrum.

The Mustangs opened the game, scoring early in the first half. They added a penalty to lead 8-0 at halftime. The Gaels responded with a try from fly-half Liam Underwood early in the second half, but a communication mistake in their own zone cost them a chance at a game-tying try late in the game.

“In the last 25 minutes we were in their goal line three to four times but we couldn’t pop one over,” he said, adding that his team didn’t spread the ball wide enough to use their speed on the wings.

“We obviously wanted this one pretty bad, unfortunately we kind of came up short,” he said. “It’s going to be an important lesson for us.”

With the loss, the Gaels fall to 3-1. They visit the Royal Military College Paladins on Friday.