There was a truth buried in five seconds of overtime play Saturday when the game flashed before the Mustangs' eyes and keeper
Price Anderson made two rapid-fire saves.
Before he could even think about scrambling to his feet to complete the game-defining sequence, Anderson had to complete the first part.Â
"You have to focus on the first shot," Anderson said.
The Master's University men's soccer team did not suddenly vault into a Golden State Athletic Conference playoff spot with Saturday's impressive 0-0 tie with No. 4 Westmont at TMU.
But the Mustangs took a step in the right direction by dealing the Warriors (10-1-1, 4-0-1 GSAC) something other than a win in conference play.
Master's (6-5-2, 1-2-1) sits in eighth place with four matches to go, two points back of sixth. The top six teams qualify for the GSAC tournament, which is set to start Nov. 9.
The Mustangs' start to GSAC play was less than stellar. TMU suffered consecutive shutouts at the hands of Vanguard and William Jessup.
The Vanguard loss was similar to Saturday's contest in that the Mustangs held a quality opponent off the scoreboard for the majority of the game. But in that instance, Master's allowed a goal in the 85th minute. There was no such letdown Saturday.
Anderson made eight saves in 110 minutes between the pipes, earning his fifth shutout in what's been an eye-opening season for the sophomore keeper who split time at the position a year ago. The Mustangs also received solid play on the back line from
Peter Mackay and
Cameron Molyneux, as Westmont was shutout for the second time all year. The other occasion came against NCAA Division 1 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.Â
"We're a little bummed. We wanted to come out with a win," Molyneux said. "Especially in conference. I guess a tie is better than a loss. But moving forward we want to win out. We have to win with the way we started out in conference." Â Â
TMU's best chance to win came in the first overtime when
Brayden Campos, the hero on many other occasions in his Mustang career, hit a strong shot that clanked off the left post.
Master's attempted 14 shots to Westmont's 16, with four on goal for the Mustangs. Westmont managed eight shots on goal. None more dangerous than the pair of rockets Anderson turned away seconds apart in the second overtime. Â Â
Westmont's Owen Bates laced a shot from 16 yards out, and Anderson lunged to his right to deflect it. The ball bounced to Tyler Young, who jumped and volleyed it back on frame. By then, Anderson had climbed to his feet. He blocked it, and Master's cleared the ball out of danger. Â
"Once you make the second save, if you can catch it, then it's done," said Anderson. "If you can push it, you have to push it outside and you have to get up as fast as you can."
The Mustangs have climbed to their feet. Now it's a race to the finish.
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