In just seven seasons, MVNU has already posted a 103-46-5 overall record (.685 winning percentage) while earning three American Mideast Conference South Division titles and two National Christian College Athletic Association national championships.

Coming off a share of the AMC South Division title and the program’s second NCCAA national title after going 13-7-2 last year, the Lady Cougars will be looking to defend those crowns while also striving to earn a berth in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time.

"I am excited about this season,” said MVNU head coach Jonathan Meade, who has been named the AMC South Division Coach of the Year four times and the NCCAA National Coach of the Year twice in his seven previous years guiding the team. "We don’t have a big roster, but we do have the right people here to get the job done. I think the Lady Cougars will bring a new and exciting flair to our style of play with the combination of returners and newcomers.”

"One key ingredient will be having the right attitude and keeping the team first,” Meade added. "Success always begins with selfless play. This team has already shown that to be a cornerstone of who we are. When you get teammates who really care about each other, it can usher you to new levels of play quickly and that makes for an exciting season.”

Senior forward Kristy Brandolini will lead the MVNU attack in 2007. The two-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American ranks third in school history in goals (56) and second in assists (33). She will be joined up front by freshman Jessica Estep, junior Beth Watkins, and freshman Jena Dickerson. Watkins saw action in 15 matches last year for the Lady Cougars, while Estep and Dickerson had standout high school careers at Madison High School and Clear Fork High School respectively.

In the midfield, juniors Page Miller and Kelly Sgambellone return and will join freshmen Challyn Dobson, Bekah Blankenship, and Jamie Blair as well as senior Jessica Pagano. Miller had a breakout season last year as she recorded 11 goals and six assists on the way to earning AMC South Division Second Team honors, while Sgambellone added five goals and four assists. Dobson (Mount Vernon High School), Blankenship (Kirksville High School), and Blair (Ashland High School) each had solid high school careers, while Pagano will be wrapping up a four-year career at MVNU.

Defensively, sophomore Angie Misamore and senior Stacy Robey will anchor the Lady Cougars’ back line. Misamore played in all 22 matches last season and was named to the AMC South Division First Team as well as being selected as the AMC South Division Freshman of the Year. Meanwhile, Robey has seen action in 64 career matches with two goals and six assists. Sophomores Erin Miller and Nikki Bruscino, junior Raquel Crocker, senior Molly Dible, and freshman Denée Stentz will also see action in the back. Bruscino will be making the transition from the forward position where she had four goals and five assists last year, while Miller, Crocker, and Dible each saw action for the team off the bench. Stentz comes to MVNU from Ashland High School.

The biggest question mark for MVNU going into the season is the goalkeeper position where the Lady Cougars are trying to fill the void created by the graduation of four-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Krysti Wilson. Freshman Jenessa Loewen, senior Melissa Peters, and sophomore Whitney Tatko are each competing for the starting job. Loewen comes to MVNU after playing at Gravenhurst High School, while Peters and Tatko have each had at least a year away from soccer.

"Our strength this season will be our chemistry and creative play,” said Meade. "One challenge will be that we will have a lot of young players who need to make a quick transition to the college game.”

The Lady Cougars will have another challenging schedule ahead of them. In the season opener against Trinity Western, MVNU will be facing one of the top teams in Canada. The team will follow that with a trip to Oregon for two matches capped off by a meeting with Concordia (Ore.) University, which is ranked third in the NAIA preseason poll. The Lady Cougars will also face 13th-ranked Berry (Ga.) College in the team’s W.g. Grinders Cougar Classic and 16th-ranked Siena Heights (Mich.) University in non-conference action as well as perennial powers Tiffin University and Malone College, who previously were both in the AMC South Division.

Speaking of the AMC South Division, MVNU will look to defend its conference title after going 7-1-0 last year. The Lady Cougars, who received votes in the NAIA preseason poll, will join 21st-ranked Ohio Dominican University as the two front-runners in the conference race heading into the season. Cedarville University, Walsh University, Urbana University, Shawnee State University, and the University of Rio Grande will also be gunning for the title in what should shape up to be an exciting race.

"Most of all, we want to play fun and exciting soccer,” said Meade. "We want to defend our championships from last year with great honor, courage, and determination, but we would also like to reach new heights this year in the NAIA. Right now, we are really just focusing on good daily work habits and our overall chemistry since we are so young. As that comes along, we feel our wins and losses will take care of themselves.”