Master’s attempted 19 shots to Marymount California University’s two on Tuesday at TMU, but few of the Mustangs’ tries were dangerous and only one found the net in what became a 1-1 tie after two overtimes.

The game ended with one final, maddening sequence.

Master’s senior Laura English served the ball deep into the penalty area, where a scrum of players battled for possession. The ball trickled out to Mustang Erin Barr, whose shot was blocked by the mass of bodies. Hannah Bahr clubbed one last try that sailed over the crossbar as time expired.

Twice the Mustangs (2-1-1) hit the post in the first half, a period that featured all of the game’s scoring but proved to be only the beginning of a long afternoon. For the second time in as many years, these teams played past the 103rd minute of a non-conference match. Last season, Hailey Gomillion scored in the second overtime to lift the Mustangs to victory.

Tuesday, Master’s was left to turn its attention to a home match Saturday against No. 21 Kansas Wesleyan University. Kickoff is 11 a.m.

Tuesday started well.

In the ninth minute, Mustang Kayla Sims drove into the box and slotted a pass to Sarah Stead, who redirected it into the net. It was the second goal of the season for Stead, who returned to TMU this fall to pursue a graduate degree after a one-year hiatus. She was one of a few Mustangs who applied real pressure to a Marymount defense that packed numerous players behind the ball, and she was adamant afterward that the Mustangs shouldn’t see the result as a setback.

“We cannot see this as a setback, but as a learning opportunity,” Stead said. “This tie should motivate us to learn from mistakes and move forward. We have a couple of days to try and move on in order to be ready for Saturday.”

Marymount made the most of its chances.

Both of the Mariners’ shots came in the first half. One was the equalizer, as Kelsey Lombardo scored off a Brooke Ybarra assist in the 32nd minute. The Mustangs pushed to pull back ahead in the second half, attempting 12 more shots in regulation and one in each overtime. But nothing was doing.

Afterward, TMU coach Curtis Lewis acknowledged the large number of players Marymount committed to defense, but he wasn’t ready to give his team a pass.

“You have to unlock that, right?” Lewis said. “Our team did not self-police themselves today. I gave them a scouting report of how they play and we did the opposite.”

Lewis said he felt the Mustangs played with too much individualism on Tuesday. The team’s forwards struggled to connect on the attack, and Lewis said he may need to look at his lines and see if he can find better combinations.

“We have to maybe figure out who works together,” Lewis said. “That might be one aspect.”

Still, there was a silver lining.

“A tie is better than a loss obviously,” Lewis said. “We’ll take it for that. But it’s two games in a row that we’ve really only played 45 minutes.”

— Game Recap By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director