No. 15 The Master's (Calif.) Advances to First Semifinal After 3-1 Win Over No. 7 Notre Dame (Ohio)
Dec. 2, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. – (box score) Two straight goals by Marcelo Silva broke a 1-1 tie and sent No. 15 seed The Master’s (Calif.) to a 3-1 victory over No. 7 seed Notre Dame (Ohio) in the second Quarterfinal game of the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship on Wednesday at Ramirez Field. The Master’s advances to its first ever Semifinal match to be played on Friday at 4:30 p.m. PST against the winner of No. 3 Rio Grande (Ohio) and Biola (Calif.).
The Master’s, who is playing in its first Championship since 1992 and fourth overall, improves to 19-2-2 on the year. The Mustangs head into Friday’s match on a nine-game unbeaten streak.
After a scoreless first half, Mustangs defender Tyler Salvey received a throw-in pass and spun around to find the net from 40 yards out. His first goal of the year gave The Master’s a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute.
Notre Dame’s Jacob Sheppard took a free kick from Jonathan Morris and headed the ball in to the right side to tie the game at 1-1. Sheppard’s third goal of the year came at the 62nd minute mark.
More than 14 minutes later, Silva’s heroics began. He took a feed from Guilherm Mitrovitch and found a hole through the arms of goalkeeper Craig Pickering. Silva added the team’s third goal just seconds before the final whistle with the assist going to Brian Gardner.
The Master’s recorded 14 total shots in the win.
The Mustang defense controlled the game limiting Notre Dame to just nine overall shots, including three on goal. Notre Dame All-America candidate Luke Holmes placed just one shot as he entered the match with 29 goals on the year.
The loss snapped a five-match winning streak for Notre Dame and ends its season with a 16-4-2 record.
Hosted by Fresno Pacific (Calif.) University and the Fresno Sports Council, the Championship will continue with the third Quarterfinal game of the day between No. 3 Rio Grande (Ohio) and Biola (Calif.). at 4:30 p.m. PST. For more information on the Championship, click here.
NOTES: The two goals scored by Marcelo Silva was the first multi-goal game of the Championship in Fresno… The Master’s may have a match-up in the Semifinals with Biola (Calif.), a team it has defeated twice this season… The Mustangs improve to 6-1-2 in Championship play… The three goals allowed by Notre Dame ties a season-high – the Falcons had allowed three goals during the previous four games prior to today.
