LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Occidental defeated The Master's University 5-2 on Friday at W.C. Patterson Field at Jack Kemp Stadium. 

The Tigers got off to a scoring spree early and often, tallying three goals before halftime. The Mustangs responded with two goals in the second half, but the Tigers added two more to secure the victory. 

The first half began with Occidental asserting control as Joseph Bassett made an early save against a shot from Master's Trent Rickard just 58 seconds into the match. Occidental's offensive efforts paid off when Justin Nishimoto, assisted by Ayden Rieke-Wey, opened the scoring in the 12th minute. Elijah Edelman further extended the lead with a goal in the 18th minute and later assisted Devin Bening in the 24th minute, giving the Tigers a commanding 3-0 advantage by halftime.

The second half began with a quick start as Rickard found the net in the 47th minute, narrowing the gap. However, Occidental responded decisively at the 73rd minute with Bening scoring from an Enzo Bernales assist, extending their lead to 4-1. Despite a penalty kick goal from Rickard for the Mustangs shortly after, Nishimoto sealed the match with a goal in the 81st minute, assisted by Joshua Lang, securing a 5-2 victory.

Occidental Top Performers

Joseph Bassett  
----------------------  
- four saves  
- 85:47 minutes played  

Devin Bening  
----------------------  
- two goals  
- seven shots  
- two shots on goal  
- one game-winning goal  

Elijah Edelman  
----------------------  
- one goal  
- one assist  
- three shots  
- two shots on goal  

Justin Nishimoto  
----------------------  
- two goals  
- two shots  
- two shots on goal  

Occidental improved to 2-2-0 overall with their victory. The Mustangs fell to 0-1-0 overall after the defeat.

In their next game, the Tigers will travel host Hope International at 7:30 p.m., Friday Sept. 12.