Offensive struggles and missed opportunities doomed the Gaels at Richardson Stadium on Saturday.

Queen’s (0-3) finished three different drives inside the Western Mustangs’ five-yard line, but could only muster a single touchdown on the way to a 43-12 loss. Western improved to 2-0 on the season.

The Gaels had to settle for a nine-yard field goal from kicker Dillon Wamsley on their first opportunity deep in Western territory.

Heavy rain and wins played a major role, as neither team mounted much offence early in the contest. The Gaels held a 3-2 lead after 15 minutes, but amassed only seven yards of offence in the quarter.

The Mustangs’ offence woke up in the later quarters, as Western quarterback Will Finch threw for 319 yards in the game. He also racked up a further 112 rushing yards.

The Gaels weren’t able to contain Finch or running back Yannick Harou, as Western used sustained drives to keep the Queen’s offence on the sidelines.

After conceding a safety to give Western the lead, the Gaels couldn’t keep up with the Mustangs. Finch connected with Garret Sanvido for a touchdown early in the second quarter. Sanvido followed up by punching in a one-yard touchdown on the ground six minutes later.

The Gaels’ lone touchdown came on a two-yard pass from quarterback Billy McPhee to receiver Alex Carroll, on a third-quarter drive bolstered by a costly Western penalty. On Queen’s next attempt from inside the five-yard line, fullback Aaron Dowd was stuffed just shy of the end zone to end the third.

McPhee struggled in the game, completing 19 of 37 passes and throwing one interception.

In the final frame, the Mustangs added another two touchdowns and a field goal to make it 43-12.

Next on the docket for the Gaels is a road battle with the Guelph Gryphons (2-1) next Saturday.