Master’s Wears 1-1 Tie Smartly : College soccer: Match apparently helps Mustangs clinch playoff berth, doesn’t hurt CLU.

Both coaches described it as a must-win situation, but in reality the men’s soccer match between The Master’s College and Cal Lutheran was more a must-not-lose.

Neither did.

Cal Lutheran and Master’s played to a 1-1 tie after a 30-minute overtime in an NAIA District 3 match at Master’s on Tuesday. Both teams came out believing they had helped their chances for a berth in the district playoffs.

“This sealed it,” said Master’s Coach Mark Schubert, whose team apparently will be the highest-seeded District 3 independent.

“I think as far as playoffs, it gives us a shot,” Cal Lutheran Coach George Kuntz said.

Cal Lutheran (11-3-2, 5-1-2 in district play) has a loss to fellow independent Biola in addition to its tie with Master’s, but the Kingsmen nonetheless are hoping a strong overall record also will merit an independent berth in the six-team tournament.

The Mustangs (6-9-4, 2-1-2) have seen their record suffer because of several matches with NCAA Division I teams, but they have beaten Biola.

Cal Lutheran scored first on a goal by Casey Pirih about two-thirds of the way through the first half. Teammate Jeff Popour hit the right pole with a shot that ricocheted back toward the middle of the goal mouth, and Pirih came sliding in to chip the ball over goalie Allan Bowden. It was Pirih’s fifth goal of the season.

Master’s tied the score two minutes before halftime on a shot by Chris Palm, who leads the district in goals and is among the national NAIA leaders. Palm picked up a long pass from Russ Spencer and scored his 15th goal on a left-footed grounder that skipped by Cal Lutheran goalie Eddie Guerricabetia.

Spencer was playing his first match of the season after breaking his leg in a summer motorcycling accident. However, Master’s was missing high-scoring Randy Whitfield, who sat out the match because of a previous red card, and Ezekiel Bongarra, who left the match with an injury.

Pirih also missed part of the match, leaving on a red-card ejection with about 15 minutes remaining in regulation. Thus CLU had to play the remainder of the match a man down.

“We had to change our tactics completely,” Kuntz said. “Defensively, we had to play very safe. . . . To leave one of their forwards alone would be suicidal.”

CLU actually outshot Master’s, 4-2, in the first 15 minutes of overtime. After a break, Master’s had six shots on goal, including a Palm floater that Guerricabetia barely tipped over the crossbar.

“I wish we would have finished better,” Schubert said. “Some days it’s not going to go in.”