MVNU (2-0-0) took control of the match in the first 25 minutes of the first half as sophomore midfielder Scott Spangler (left) scored off an assist from senior midfielder Aaron Caluza for a 1-0 advantage and junior forward Adam Worrall headed in a cross from senior midfielder Seth Taylor to make it 2-0 in favor of the Cougars. The goal was Spangler’s first of the season, while Worrall found the back of the net for the team-leading third time in two matches.

The score remained 2-0 until early in the second half when senior forward Steven Lesmes took a pass from Worrall and scored his second goal of the year to give MVNU a commanding 3-0 advantage.

“It was nice to get another shutout and we played pretty well under some tougher field conditions,” said MVNU head coach Paul Furey. “Scott got things going for us on a nice bending shot from 25 yards out, and it was good to have Adam scoring again on a nice header from a cross. That is something that we need to be better in this year and that’s a good start for us - scoring from the flanks. Having Steve get on the board was nice, too, as he was set up nicely by Adam.”

“We played a lot better second half,” Furey added. “We tried to play a little better soccer in terms of movement of the ball, and I thought that we did that a lot better in the second period.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Stout and freshman Dustin Kaufman combined to post the shutout in goal for the Cougars as they totaled four saves. Meanwhile, Jason Lowe stopped three shots for Southern Virginia (1-2-0).

MVNU will now close out its three-match trip through Virginia with a contest at NCAA Division I Liberty University on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. This will be the first regular-season meeting for the Cougars with a Division I program, and Liberty is coming off a 9-6 campaign. The Flames, who will be playing their 2007 season opener, were picked to finish third in the Big South Conference preseason poll. This will be the second meeting between the two schools as MVNU fell 5-1 to then Liberty Baptist College during the 1982 season.

“The 2-0 start here obviously sets us up for the big challenge on Saturday,” said Furey. “We are looking forward to it and we hear that it’s a great environment to play in. We’ll certainly be challenged against a quality Division I program, and I know that this will be something that our guys will remember regardless of the result.”