Master’s Gains Soccer Final With Scoring Deluge

Spectators who arrived late for Tuesday’s NAIA District 3 semifinal soccer match between The Master’s College and visiting Azusa Pacific needed only to observe the latter team’s goalie to tell who was winning.

Christian Johnson had just made a superb save of a Chris Palm shot from point-blank range, yet he stood in front of the goal shaking his head, a look of hopelessness on his face.

His demeanor was understandable: Master’s had already scored four goals on its way to a 7-1 victory.

“We wanted to fill it up, there’s no doubt about that,” Master’s Coach Mark Schubert said. “Westmont beat Azusa, 1-0, a couple of weeks ago, and we wanted to send a message to them with a big win. We wanted to give them something to think about.”

Consider that mission accomplished after Tuesday’s win, which propelled the Mustangs (8-10-3) into the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics District 3 title match against Westmont on Saturday.

Westmont (12-6-1) defeated Cal Lutheran, 2-1, in Tuesday’s other semifinal, limiting the Kingsmen (14-4-3) to seven shots on goal.

The winner of Saturday’s match--a replay of last year’s title game, won by Westmont, 4-0--will advance to the NAIA championships, Nov. 19-24 in Boca Raton, Fla.

Master’s, playing with the wind at its back in the first half, struck early and often.

Harlan Slind, a freshman defender from Washington state, gave the Mustangs a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the match, rising above a Cougar defender to head in a pass from Palm.

Randy Whitfield doubled the lead less than two minutes later when he blasted a shot past Johnson from 20 yards.

Azusa Pacific cut its deficit to 2-1 when Carl Stoehr scored at the 10-minute mark, but goals by Palm--on an assist from Mariano Calabretta--and Whitfield gave Master’s a 4-1 lead at halftime.

Master’s turned a rout into a massacre in the second half, getting two goals from Ezekiel Bongarra and another from Adrian Donato on an assist from Bongarra.

Palm, the Mustangs’ leading scorer (16 goals, 10 assists for 42 points), was issued a red card and ejected from the match two minutes into the second half for flagrantly tackling Stoehr.

The red card will keep him out of the match against Westmont.

“It’s definitely going to be a complication,” Schubert said. “But I think we’re capable of winning without him.”