Two in a Row for Men's Soccer

Master's men's soccer got two goals in the second half from Mark Spencer to win 2-0 on the road against San Diego Christian Thursday.

Spencer's recent move to forward from defender has proven beneficial as he has scored three goals in the last two games, both of which were the first two conference wins for the Mustangs.

"They were really cool goals. I'm really happy for him," said Head Coach Jim Rickard. "At halftime we said we needed to pressure their center backs more and that led directly to the first goal."

In the first goal, which came less than three-and-a-half minutes into the second half, Kai Terentieff and Silas Chavez worked together to steal a pass from the Hawks goalkeeper. Chavez then made the crossing pass that Spencer finished into the back of the net. 

Just two minutes later it was Spencer alone, this time dribbling through the defense before getting a shot off with his right foot that Rickard called "a really beautiful shot."

Master's (4-8-2, 2-4 GSAC) finished with 10 shots on goal, five in each half, with SDCC getting four shots in each half. Master's Goalkeeper Kian Bensend was only credited with two saves, but his work, along with the defense, was noticed by his head coach.

"Kian getting a shutout was really really key because San Diego Christian is a very emotional team and if they were going to score a goal they were going to be pumped up more on adrenaline," Rickard said. "So for Kian to make the saves and deny them a score was key. Everyone on defense today did a great job.

Master's entered Thursday's action in 9th place, three points behind 6th place Westmont. Getting the three points for the win helps certainly, but with just three games left in the regular season the Mustangs are going to need to get more points in order to ensure their spot for the six-team post-season conference tournament.

"Today really was a must-win for us and winning away is tough," Rickard said. "I like the way we are playing right now. So if we can get a couple more wins in these last three games I like our chances (of making the tournament)."

The final road game of the season will be Saturday in Costa Mesa when the Mustangs play Vanguard at 2:30. The last two games of the regular season will be at home next Thursday and Saturday.