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The ����ֱ�� Gaels (0-1) saw victory snatched away late by the Laurier Golden Hawks (1-0) in a 37-18 loss after turnovers proved costly in the final minutes.

Phoenix Grouse led the way for the Gaels picking up a pair of sacks and an interception on a big day for the defence in front of 1,144 fans in Waterloo.

With the Gaels leading 18-16 in the fourth quarter the Golden Hawks scored three touchdowns to put the game out of reach.

“We had a few turnovers late that really took the wind out of us,” says head coach Pat Sheahan. “There were a lot of lessons learned today on a lot of levels. We just need to have a little bit more of a better attitude on how to finish it and the team has to learn that.”

Neither team could get their offence going early and the hosts went into the half with a 9-8 lead, the Gaels’ Jonah Pataki scoring the only touchdown on a 2-yard run.

The Gaels made the most out of a Laurier fumble in the third quarter as quarterback Nate Hobbs found Matteo Del Brocco in the corner of the endzone for a 15-9 lead.

However, Laurier was quick to respond with a touchdown of their own to make it 16-15.

The Gaels regained the lead in the fourth as kicker Nick Liberatore nailed his first career CIS field goal, a 31-yarder making it 18-16 Gaels.

The Golden Hawks defence took over late in the game as Godfrey Onyeka picked off a Hobbs pass and took it all the way for a touchdown. The Gaels fumbled on the resulting kickoff, and Laurier struck again a few downs later to make it 30-18 Laurier. The Golden Hawks tacked on another major to make the final 37-18.

Week 2 has the Gaels on bye. They return to action on Sept. 10 when they travel to Guelph to take on the Gryphons. ����ֱ�� will then host the Western Mustangs to open the revitalized Richardson Stadium on Sept. 17 at 1 pm. The game will be televised on City. For tickets visit .