After the teams played a scoreless first half, junior forward Sheldon Tugman gave MVNU (11-5-2, 2-3-1 AMC South) a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the second half as he scored off assists from senior forward Steve Lesmes (left) and sophomore midfielder Scott Spangler. The goal was Tugman’s fourth of the season, while Lesmes increased his team-leading assist total to eight.

The host Cavaliers (8-7-2, 2-4-0 AMC South) had a golden opportunity to equalize with about 10 minutes left in the match with a point-blank shot, but sophomore goalkeeper Alex Stout made a diving save to preserve the lead.

Then, in the 89th minute, Spangler increased the lead to 2-0 when he found the back of the net off another assist from Lesmes - his ninth. The goal was Spangler’s third of the season.

The Cougars out-shot Walsh 13-10 with a 6-3 edge in shots on goal. Stout posted three saves for MVNU in notching his eighth shutout, while Chad Ostrowski stopped four shots for the Cavaliers.

“The guys were really focused tonight playing a solid match as they wanted it really badly,” said MVNU head coach Paul Furey. “They played with the intensity needed to get the job done. Once again, our back line did a great job of playing under tough conditions with the weather and played composed. They were strong against a quick, physical team.”

“Alex came up big a couple of times including a sensational save late in the second half to keep them scoreless,” Furey added. “Sheldon had a sweet goal and worked well with Steve up front all night creating good chances for us. Steve did a nice job of setting up both goals. This was a team effort and our midfield worked so hard on both ends of the field to make things happen for us. This will help prepare us for postseason play.”

The Cougars will now wait to see who their opponent will be in the National Christian College Athletic Association East Region Tournament. MVNU will most likely have a home match at some point during the week of November 5-10.