The first half was scoreless until the 42nd minute when miscommunication on the MVNU back line allowed Marcelo Silva to rip a shot from 20 yards out into an empty net to put the Mustangs (1-0), who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, on top 1-0 with the half winding down. Jader Santos was credited with an assist on the play.

That would prove to be all the scoring in the match as both defenses limited the scoring chances in the second half as The Master’s, which returned 10 starters and 19 letterwinners from a team that went 11-3-4 a year ago, prevailed 1-0.

The Mustangs held an 8-4 advantage in total shots in the match and a 5-2 edge in shots on goal. The Cougars did lead in corner kicks 4-2, but MVNU (0-1) was unable to convert on any of its set piece opportunities. Senior Alex Stout (above) posted four saves in goal for the Cougars, while Kevin Lawson stopped two shots on goal and registered a shutout for The Master’s.

“The Master’s is one of those teams that you just cannot make a mistake with or they will make it very difficult for you to come back and get in the match and that was the case today,” said MVNU coach Paul Furey. “We fought hard to try to get the equalizer, but they are very solid in the back and we just could not put things together well enough in the front to make it happen today. It was a lesson well-learned.”

“We lost to a good team,” Furey continued. “Despite the disappointment, we have to re-focus and get ready to go back to work tomorrow and play another match. One encouraging thing was having our back line play the whole entire match and playing a solid match for us for 90 minutes. Hopefully, tomorrow we will find a way to score some goals and get our first win of the season.”

The Cougars will be right back in action on the same field tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. PST when MVNU will take on San Diego Christian College. The Hawks will be playing their season opener in that contest.