The Master’s University women’s soccer team has formulated a mission statement to guide its offensive attack in 2019.

The Mustangs hope to score 50 goals, believing the benchmark would mean a near-sure ticket to nationals.

Thursday in Prescott, Arizona, Master’s found itself chasing one goal for the better part of the night. That it ultimately fell 1-0 to No. 10 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (AZ) was not for lack of opportunity.

Eagles keeper Caitlyn Aaron saved a Mustang penalty kick early in the second half. And Master’s attempted 11 shots, seven on goal, throughout its toughest test of the young season.

“We had the opportunities and couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net,” said sophomore forward Kyndel Borman, adding, “I think it was mental tonight. Physically we were there and in the right spots, but getting the ball in the back of the net was a mental struggle.”

Embry-Riddle couldn’t say the same — at least early on.

Lauren Foster scored in the game’s second minute. The moment opened and closed the night’s scoring and meant the Mustangs were trailing for the first time in three games.

“We were scored on early,” TMU coach Curtis Lewis said. “That’s never helpful.”

The Mustangs women’s soccer players (2-1) didn’t recover immediately. But after halftime, they began to string passes together and make a considerable push to score.

“After a halftime of talking pretty sternly to the team, I thought they played much better in the second half,” Lewis said. “We had a PK that we missed. We were probably deserving of a goal with how we pushed. That’s a good thing we can build on.”

Said midfielder Kayla Sims, “In the second half, we put ourselves in great positions to score, no one stepped up to be that person. It’s hard when you waste an entire half and expect to win a game.”

Lewis said before the game he believed a strong showing could boost the Mustangs into the NAIA Top 25. He did not, however, say it would take a win. To their credit, the Mustangs kept the pressure on Embry-Riddle throughout and Lacey Lehman‘s season-high seven saves kept them well within striking distance.

“The starters figured it out in the second half,” Lewis said. “They came out just rockin’. We could have put two goals away, and I think if we scored one, we probably score a couple.”

In their previous two games, the Mustangs found the net plenty.

In the season opener on Aug. 17, Borman scored twice to lift the Mustangs past a strong Southern Oregon team that has beaten No. 25 Westmont College and No. 11 Vanguard University, two of TMU’s conference rivals, already this season. Then Kayla Peterson, a three-time all-conference defender who Lewis has been using at forward, netted two goals in a 4-1 win over Benedictine University at Mesa in Prescott on Tuesday.

The Mustangs will host Marymount California at TMU on Aug. 27 at 4 p.m.

— Game Recap By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director