Eastern's Courtney Gaskill leaps past a TMC defender.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The Eastern Oregon University soccer team fell to the No. 13 team in the country today, The Master’s College of California, 2-1.
The Mountaineers had two shots compared to the Mustangs 19 and EOU had one shot on goal while TMC had 11. The Master’s had 17 corner kicks and Eastern had one.
Eastern Oregon controlled the possession of the ball and flow of the game for the first 15 minutes, but the Mustangs quickly changed the momentum of the match and maintained control of the ball in Eastern’s half of the pitch.
“We improved today,” EOU head coach Jessy Watson said. “I saw a lot of good things against a very good team. I think this proved to our ladies that they can play with anyone in our conference.”
The Mustangs’ Robyn Estrada struck a ball into the back of the net in the 39th minute for the game’s first goal. The shot came from just outside the 18 and was just out of the reach of EOU goalkeeper Alison Seymour.
Just a minute into the second half and The Master’s scored its second goal. A loose ball in the box was the catalyst to the goal. Estrada snuck a slow rolling ball through the Mountaineer defense and Ally Hall put the ball to the far post for the score.
Eastern Oregon got on the scoreboard with just seven minutes left in regulation. Lauren Robideau struck a free kick into a mix of players and TMC got a hand on the ball inside the 18. EOU’s Lori Wilson shot a penalty kick that was blocked by the Mustangs’ Amanda Durocher. But Durocher was called for leaving her line too early and Wilson succeeded on her second attempt.
Even with a rise in intensity, time ran out for the Mountaineers and the upset. EOU will attempt to bounce back against Hope International University Wednesday. The game will be played at NCAA Div. 1’s Cal State-Fullerton.