The Master's University women's soccer team lost to No. 19 Hope International University 3-0 in a game played at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. Saturday.
The Mustangs might have lost, but they out shot their opponent 19-17, with 10 of those shots meeting the Royals goalkeeper, something TMU Head Coach Esteban Chavez saw as a positive.
"We ended up getting more shots on goal, even though they are a very good solid team and they had most of the possession." Coach Chavez said. "We still managed to keep the game so tight for most of the game."
The Master's (4-2, 1-1) began the game playing defense against a potent Hope International squad, facing an early setback when freshman defender Zaria Echemendia was injured a little over 15 minutes into the game.
20 seconds later, the Royals scored.
With 19 minutes left in the first half, the game changed in favor of the Mustangs when they entered the Royals zone and recorded two shots.
A quick Royals push was snuffed out by the Mustangs, as they controlled the final 15-and-a-half minutes of the first half. They tested the Royals goalkeeper with four shots in two minutes, but the first half would end with the Royals maintaining a 1-0 lead.
The Royals began an offensive push to start the second half, but the Mustangs quickly regained control and fired three shots in four minutes.
The game then turned into a back and forth until, with 24 minutes left in the game, the Royals began a dangerous offensive push that changed the momentum to their favor.
With a little over 13 minutes left in the game, the Royals rushed into the zone and scored a goal by deflecting the ball against a Mustang player. Two-and-a-half minutes later, the Royals curved a kick into the net for the third and final goal of the game.
Coach Chavez, when looking back, saw his team play an offensive and persistent match.
"For most of the game, we were looking at being in a 1-1 tie… To be in the game, even though we didn't have much of the ball… the girls created more opportunities and more shots on goal."
And while the team had to deal with a loss and injuries, Coach Chavez sees the importance of moving on to the next game.
"We cannot go into the next game feeling down. The fact of the matter is… there's still 12 games to go in conference. The importance of the next game… to not dwell on this result and to really feed off the fact that we were right there… just as long as we do not dwell on this loss mentally and take the positives."
The Mustangs will look to change the momentum on their trip to Glendale, Ariz. as they face off against Arizona Christian University on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
