The Redmen (19-3-1), who are making their eighth straight trip to the NAIA National Championship, got on the scoreboard 11:06 into the match when Jon Brooks followed up a corner kick attempt with a shot from about 25 yards out that deflected off an MVNU defender and into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

That goal, which was the first goal allowed by the Cougars in four NAIA National Championship matches in the team’s first-ever appearance, would prove to be the only goal of the match as Rio Grande advanced to the championship match of the tournament for the second time. The Redmen claimed the 2003 national title in their only other appearance in the title match.

“The match certainly seemed to be in Rio Grande’s favor in terms of possession and shots, and they had us pinned in our half for a good portion of the match,” said MVNU coach Paul Furey. “They did not have many great chances, but they did capitalize on a corner kick on the deflected shot that I think Alex had under control before the deflection got him off-balance. They are certainly a very good team and I would be surprised if they did not win the championship match tomorrow.”

“Our guys battled today,” said Furey. “We had some chances and a few counter attacks. We missed having Kemar (Jackson) in the back line as he was out due to injury. Tony (Yoder) stepped in and did a good job, though.”

“Even with Rio Grande scoring early, it did not really rattle us much,” said Furey. “We felt like with one goal we were still in the match and would pick and chose the times to counter attack. We just did not finish the few chances that we did have.”

Rio Grande held a 25-6 advantage in total shots and an 8-2 edge in shots on goal. MVNU goalkeeper junior Alex Stout notched six saves, while Nate Walzer stopped two shots for the Redmen. Even though the Cougars allowed the one goal, they still finished the 2008 campaign having allowed just 16 goals in 24 matches to set a new single-season school record for fewest goals allowed as they bested the mark of 17 set last year.

“It has been a tremendous ride for us this season, but I guess we get off here a little short of what we would have liked,” said Furey. “Nonetheless, the guys can take tremendous pride in what they have accomplished and how far we were able to go. The NAIA Final Four and the road that got us there is a lifetime memory for this great group of guys.”

“We head home from California and our guys are proud of what they have done,” said Furey. “We hope that we have brought pride to our campus and our Cougar fans and everyone back in Mount Vernon. I really feel like we represented our university not just with a competitive spirit but with dignity and class. It is important that we show ourselves to be a group that maintains integrity and is a group of guys that people watching us can respect for what we bring to the game.”

“We are losing three great seniors in Zach (Patterson), Adam (Worrall), and Sheldon (Tugman),” said Furey. “We will miss them tremendously, and they will certainly go out being recognized for their great accomplishments. We also have a lot to look forward to in the future with a great group of guys returning. The road ahead looks bright.”

MVNU wraps up its historic season with an 18-4-2 record to post the best single-season winning percentage in school history at .792. The Cougars were ranked No. 7 in the final NAIA poll. They finish the season 6-2-1 against teams ranked in the Top 25 including 1-1-1 against Rio Grande as both teams scored one goal apiece in the three matches combined.

Complete NAIA National Championship Coverage