Game Recap By Don Gilmore, TMU Assistant Sports Editor

Jim Rickard’s post-match comments mirrored the steely, gray sky above him.

They spoke of dullness and disappointment.

They came after The Master’s University dropped a 2-0 decision to William Jessup on Thursday afternoon in Rocklin.

“Arguably, one of the most disappointing losses I can remember in a while,” said the TMU head coach. “I didn’t prepare them well enough for today.”

The defeat was the Mustangs’ second in a row and dropped them to 1-2 in the Golden State Athletic Conference and 9-4 overall.

Rickard’s disappointment stemmed from his squad’s flat first-half performance and its inability to solve the Warriors in the second stanza.

Over those opening 45 minutes of play, the Mustangs’ shot production equaled that of the Warriors, both teams taking five total and two on goal.

However, the Warriors made one of those count in the 25th minute when Paul Anderson took the ball down the left side and right-footed one past TMU goalie Price Anderson.

At the other end, Warrior keeper Nick Garcia kept the Mustangs off the board with two first-half saves.

He was much more active in the second half and just as stingy.

When Rickard made the comment about his squad not being able to solve Jessup, it had nothing to do with effort.

It had everything to do with Garcia and his defensive teammates.

The Mustangs woke up in the second half to the tune of nine shots, four of those on goal.

“We lacked a proper work rate (the first half) and didn’t play with passion until the second half,” said Rickard. “In the second half, no one could find that special moment to get us level.”

What they couldn’t find eventually doomed them, though, since Garcia stopped that quartet of attempts and wound up with six saves.

That defensive effort led to a clinching opportunity for the Warriors as Johnny Muresan scored with just 3:28 left to play for a 2-0 lead.

Here’s the box score.

Now, the Mustangs hope to salvage their two-game road trip to Northern California on Saturday when they meet up with first-place and 16th-ranked Menlo.