IRVINE, Calif. — The door to victory remained ajar, and Lynnae George had room to operate.
Seconds after Westmont had scored a go-ahead goal in Thursday's 90th minute, George drove into the Warriors' penalty area and zipped a pass across the turf. It skipped off Kellian Ahearn's foot and Sydney Robinson punched it home.
The play sparked a moment of euphoric celebration, punctuated a wild second half and ultimately had no impact on the outcome.
Master's was ruled offsides and Westmont prevailed 3-2 at Orange County Great Park in a Golden State Athletic Conference semifinal.
The loss ended the 2018 season for a Mustangs team just now finding its stride.
Coach Curtis Lewis said earlier this week he believed his club hadn't peaked yet. The Mustangs (13-6-1) were on the upswing.
They won their final two regular season games and opened the GSAC tournament with a stirring come-from-behind win.
Thursday, the tables were turned. Master's carried a 2-0 lead into the 54th minute.
TMU's Suzanne Mabie had opened the game's scoring in the 19th minute with a 17-yard shot that found its way inside the far post. Shortly after halftime, Mabie lifted another ball inside the penalty area, and Hailey Gomillion dove and headed it into the net.
The aftermath bordered on iconic.
Gomillion lay flat on her back and thrust her arms into the air.
Westmont didn't stay down for long. From the instant TMU went ahead by two, the tide began to turn.
Westmont, 13-1-3 overall and ranked No. 12 in the country, finally broke through in the 54th minute on a Katie Stella goal. The Warriors netted the equalizer 17 minutes later, and Master's was reeling.
"We have to learn how to play a full 90 minutes," said Ahearn. "For the majority of the game, we had all the momentum."
And then they didn't.
Westmont's Maddi Berthoud ran onto a through ball and finished with 57 seconds left in regulation.
The Mustangs didn't panic.
Master's pushed upfield and appeared to tie the score — before the offsides call, and 30 more seconds of scoreless soccer, sent Master's into an earlier than expected offseason.
The Mustangs advanced to the second round of the NAIA national tournament last season. Gomillion said this week she felt 2017's success made Master's overly focused on results, a trend that inhibited the group's ability to relax.
Master's made progress on that front during the stretch run, shifting its focus to playing for the Lord and supporting each other, remembering that soccer is a game. It showed in three wins, the reward of which was a rematch with Westmont, a team Master's hadn't beaten since 2014. For the second straight meeting, the Mustangs outshot the Warriors, but it didn't translate to the scoreboard.
Still, there was reason to reflect positively on the game and the season.
"I think, like coach always says, winning and losing is up to God," said senior Jasmine Logan, "and the fact that we went out there and put our heart out there (was great). It didn't come out to what we wanted, but at the same time, I feel so blessed to have these four years with the girls."
Said Ahearn, "I'm really proud of all the girls, and I'm so thankful for my five years here in this program."
