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MVNU Soccer Teams Prepare to Take Part in NCCAA Tourney
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's and women's soccer teams went through final preparations on Tuesday as both teams prepared to head south for the National Christian College Athletic Association National Tournament to be held at the Austin-Tindall Soccer Complex in Kissimmee, Florida, beginning on Friday.

The Lady Cougars (13-6-1) earned their second straight berth in the NCCAA National Tournament after downing Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College 5-1 in the NCCAA East Region championship match. MVNU is one victory shy of the school record of 14 wins, which was set last season.

Freshman forward Kristen Votapek leads the Lady Cougars with a school-record 24 goals and eight assists. Sophomore forward Catherine Hess has added nine goals and a school-record 11 assists, while senior midfielder Bethany Seiffert has recorded seven goals and six assists. MVNU has also posted five shutouts this season.

The Lady Cougars, who are seeded fifth out of eight teams, will face fourth-seeded Trinity International (Ill.) University on Friday at 2:00 p.m. in the first round. The Lady Trojans earned an at-large bid into the tournament with an 18-6-0 overall record. They are led by goalkeeper Heather Scherrer, who has allowed just 11 goals for a 0.85 goals against average.

The MVNU men's soccer team will be making their fourth appearance in the NCCAA National Tournament in the past five seasons. The Cougars (13-7-0) earned an automatic bid with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Nyack (N.Y.) College in the NCCAA East Region championship match.

Sophomore midfielder Matt Packard leads MVNU with 13 goals and seven assists, and he has scored in six straight matches. Senior goalkeeper Trevor Knowles has also allowed just 19 goals in 19 matches for a 1.02 goals against average.

The Cougars, who are the fourth seed, will play fifth-seeded York (Neb.) College on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the first round. The Panthers are the Central Region champions and have a 13-5-2 overall record. They are led by goalkeeper Kevin Megli, who has helped the team post nine shutouts with his 1.19 goals against average.

Both MVNU teams are guaranteed a second match on Saturday, and a first-round win on Friday would guarantee each team two more matches. The semifinals are set for Saturday with the championship match to be played on Monday.