Kelsey Kukaua | Courtesy TMC Athletics

Santa Clarita, CA — Maybe all it took was a home game.

Following four road matches to open the 2015 campaign, The Master’s College women’s soccer team came home for the first time Saturday and celebrated with their initial victory of the season in a 2-0 shutout of No. 20 Northwest of Washington.

The win snapped a four-match winless skid and improved the 11th-ranked Mustangs to 1-3-1.

After scoring just three times in their first four matches, the Mustangs got their offense untracked early when Kelsey Kukaua (Valencia, CA) took a through pass from Sarah Stead (Temecula, CA) and put it by Eagle goalie Lauren Patefield from 12 yards out for a 1-0 lead at the 15:46 mark.

That advantage was challenged just eight seconds later but Mustang goalie Jessica Zubia (Bakersfield, CA) came up big, stopping a Gabriela de Andrade shot to preserve the lead.  Zubia stopped another de Andrade shot just about five minutes later (20:49) for her second and final save of the match.

Just under seven minutes later (28:35), the Mustangs barely missed doubling their advantage but Stead’s laser from about 15 yards out hit the crossbar.

Neither team really threatened the rest of the half and the Mustangs went to the break with a 6-3 shot advantage and a 1-0 lead.

Over the final 45 minutes, the Mustangs put two more shots on goal, one by Victoria Gama (Riverside, CA) 6:04 into the second half that was turned away by Patefield, and one by Mackenzie Taylor (Bakersfield, CA) with 14 seconds left to play that the senior, off a pass from Kinley Kane (Newhall, CA), put into the back of the net for the match’s final score.

The Mustangs finished with an 11-4 shot advantage and Zubia notched her second shutout of the young season.

After playing five matches in the past 11 days, the Mustangs get a week off before hosting Embry Riddle Aeronautical of Arizona next Saturday in a match that starts at 11:00am on Reese Field.