Senior midfielder Seth Taylor got the scoring started in the 20th minute for MVNU (1-0-0) when he found the back of the net on a curling shot with a defender on his back. Senior midfielder Adam Pelak started the play with a cross to junior forward Adam Worrall (left), who flicked the ball to Taylor with a header as both Pelak and Worrall were credited with an assist on the play.

A little over eight minutes later, Worrall got into the scoring act himself when he took a pass from senior forward Steven Lesmes off a free kick and notched his first goal of the season to increase the Cougars’ lead to 2-0.

The score remained that way until the second half when just one minute into the final period Lesmes scored off a free kick by sophomore defender Tyler Warwick to extend the lead to 3-0.

Two and a half minutes later, the lead grew to 4-0 when sophomore midfielder Scott Spangler played a through ball to Worrall, who finished off the play for his second goal of the match.

Then, in the 79th minute, Lesmes fed freshman midfielder Cody Snouffer, who scored his first collegiate goal to close out the scoring for MVNU in the 5-0 victory.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Stout posted three saves for the Cougars in registering his first shutout of the year. Meanwhile, Brandon Melchor notched nine saves for the Rams (1-1-0). MVNU held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks, a 17-6 edge in total shots, and a 13-3 lead in shots on goal.

“We could not have asked for a much better start to our season,” said MVNU head coach Paul Furey. “We played very well. Both of our starting front-runners (Worrall and Lesmes) got involved in the scoring, and we came away from the match healthy. A lot of guys got to play tonight, and we were able to stay somewhat rested up for tomorrow. It was a good start and hopefully we can keep this going again tomorrow.”

The Cougars will be back in action on Thursday when the team travels to Southern Virginia University for the second of three matches on the trip. The action is slated to kick off at 4:00 p.m.