IRVINE, Calif. -- After losing the last three matches in a row and starting the conference season 0-2, The Master's men's soccer team bounced back with a much-needed 3-1 win over the Hope International Royals Saturday, a team the Mustangs had not beaten on the soccer field since Oct. 18, 2018.
The Mustangs (2-4-1, 1-2) scored one in the first and two more in the second before the Royals were able to get their first shot into the net in the 73rd minute. TMU won the shot battle 22-12, with 10 of those shots on goal.
Peyton Gorans scored the first goal in the 31st minute, with
Kai Terentieff netting his shot less than five minutes into the second half.
Trent Rickard assisted on both of those goals before Rickard split the pipes with his tenth goal of the season off an assist from
Jo Yokota just 2:22 after Terentieff's.
"Excited for our bounce-back game against a team we've had a hard time with the last few years," said TMU Head Coach Jim Rickard. "It went the way we needed as far as scoring first and Trent getting a couple assists. Super excited that our defense had a good game as well. So many good players this game. Peyton and Kai's finishing was so perfect and Trent getting on the board with a goal and two assists was key. Love how my defense was organized as well."
The Mustangs have gone 1-7-1 against the Royals since 2018, but the one win came as a forfeit on Feb. 17, 2021, during Covid. Hence the nearly 7-year win drought against Hope International.
Rickard led the offensive charge with eight shots followed by Yokota with four.
The Master's will be back home on Reese Field on Thursday when they face the Life Pacific Warriors. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.
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