The match was scoreless until the 35th minute when freshman forward Chris Allen took a pass from junior midfielder Scott Spangler (left) in front of the goal mouth and buried a hard line drive shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead for MVNU (12-3-2, 7-1-2 AMC). The goal was Allen’s fifth of the season.

With 1:30 remaining before halftime, senior forward Adam Worrall was taken down in the box and awarded a penalty kick. He beat Daemen goalkeeper Gary Arruda for his 17th goal of the season to increase the lead to 2-0.

Then, in the 67th minute, Worrall struck again as he scored off a corner kick from junior midfielder Chris Mast, who picked up his sixth assist of the season, as the lead grew to 3-0. The goal was Worrall’s team-leading 18th of the year and the 40th of his career as he now ranks fourth in school history in that category.

The Cougars scored off another corner kick in the 73rd minute when junior defender Brady Swanson headed in a ball from Spanger to expand the lead to 4-0. The goal was Swanson’s sixth of the year, while Spangler picked up his sixth assist of the season.

Senior forward Sheldon Tugman closed out the scoring in the 81st minute when he took a pass from Worrall and notched his second goal of the season for a 5-0 lead. The assist was Worrall’s team-leading eighth of the season and the 17th of his career as he took over sixth place in school history with 97 career points.

MVNU finished with a 24-5 advantage in total shots, an 11-2 margin in shots on goal, and a 9-2 edge in corner kicks. Junior goalkeeper Alex Stout tied his own school record that he set last year with his 10th shutout of the season as he stopped two shots to increase his school-record career total to 22 shutouts. Stout has now gone 423:30 without allowing a goal, and the Cougars have allowed just four goals in 10 conference matches with seven shutouts. Meanwhile, Gary Arruda and Jason Hartman combined to stop six shots for the Wildcats (1-14-1, 1-8-1 AMC).

“I was really happy today for our seniors on Senior Day,” said MVNU coach Paul Furey. “It would have been great if all three would have scored, and Zach (Patterson) just missed. It was no surprise for Adam to finish and get a couple of goals, but it was also nice to have Sheldon get a goal today. Overall, this is a good win in honoring our seniors who have done a great job for us throughout their careers.”

“I was pleased with everyone’s play today,” Furey added. “It was good having a couple of new players in the starting lineup. In addition to Sheldon, (freshman) Tony (Yoder) did a good job filling in for us on the back line.”

The win not only clinches a playoff berth for the Cougars in the upcoming AMC Tournament, but also a home match in the first round. MVNU, which has now won eight straight matches, will close out the regular-season next Saturday by hosting Walsh University in another conference match at 3:00 p.m. A win over the Cavaliers would guarantee the Cougars a bye in the first round of the AMC Tournament and a second-place finish in the AMC regular-season standings.