The Master’s University men’s soccer team gave up two second-half goals to come away on the short end of the 1-2 score against the Hope International Royals in the Golden State Athletic Conference Championship game Saturday played at Menlo College in Atherton, Calif.

Both goals came in the final 20 minutes of regulation, with the difference maker happening with just 3:21 to play.

“Conference finals always come down to one moment, and they had their one moment,” said TMU head coach Jim Rickard. “We had a moment, but our moment hit the post.”

That Mustang moment came moments after the Royals took the lead when Caden Deck’s cross into the box was headed by Matt Picht. These two sophomores teamed up with the exact play earlier for the TMU goal, but with the game on the line, Picht’s header hit off the crossbar.

“We battled great,” Rickard said. “Really what I wanted to do was just be in it at the end. And we were. I’m super proud of the guys and super proud of what we did in the playoffs. Congratulations to them.”

For the first 30 minutes of the first half, HIU dominated the possessions. They had seven shots against TMU’s two. But the momentum swung to the Mustangs in the final 15 minutes of the period, getting three more shots before the end of the half.

The teams went into the locker room tied 0-0.

But The Master’s (9-6-3) picked up the second half where they ended the first, riding the momentum wave through Picht’s goal 7:23 into the period. The Mustangs were a different team at this point than the one the Royals last saw back on Oct. 19, a game HIU won 4-0. Now it was TMU in control and the Royals were playing catch up.

But the team speed and resiliency did catch up for Hope International when, in the 71st minute, the Royals’ Angel Magdaleno scored the equalizer. That shifted the energy when Colm Cohen knocked in the game winner with 3:21 to play.

TMU finished with 15 shots, four of which were on goal. Prince Chingancheke took seven shots, followed by Theo Kudlo with four and Picht with three.

It was the first time The Master’s had been in a GSAC championship game since 2014. The last time the Mustangs lifted the trophy was 2009, the same year the team went all the way to the NAIA championship game, only to fall short. Still, that 2009 team is the only team from The Master’s to play for a national title.