MVNU (1-2-0) wasted little time in taking its first lead of the season as senior forward Adam Worrall (left) continued his fast start when he picked up a loose ball in the box and fired a shot into the back of the net just 8:44 into the match for his third goal in three matches this season and an early 1-0 lead for the Cougars.

The lead grew to 2-0 in the 30th minute when junior midfielder Chris Mast sent a pass to sophomore midfielder Cody Snouffer, who ripped a shot for his first goal of the season.

The score remained 2-0 through halftime and until the early minutes of the second half. Then, in the 51st minute, Worrall was taken down in the box and MVNU was awarded a penalty kick. Worrall converted the opportunity for his fourth goal of the season and the 26th of his career as the Cougars expanded their lead to 3-0.

In the 67th minute, junior defender Brady Swanson closed out the scoring when his free kick from 45 yards out soared over the outstretched arms of the Crusaders’ surprised goalkeeper, David Ham, and into the top of the net for his first goal of the year and a 4-0 advantage.

MVNU held a lopsided 25-4 advantage in total shots and a 10-1 edge in shots on goal while also leading 5-1 in corner kicks. Junior goalie Alex Stout registered one save in posting his 13th career shutout. Meanwhile, Ham stopped five shots and Manhattan Christian (1-1-0), which went 23-3-0 last year and won its second National Christian College Athletic Association Division II national title in three years, had one team save.

“It was a very important win for us today to get things rolling after a tough weekend last week,” said MVNU head coach Paul Furey. “I thought we responded very nicely and came out early and got the early goal which was a big lift for us and really boosted our confidence. Adam really stepped it up for us as a leader and as a goal scorer and gave us that edge that we needed today.”

In the first match of the tournament on Friday, Nyack (N.Y.) College (2-0-1) posted a 2-0 shutout against Asbury (Ky.) College (1-1-0). Greg Allen and Samuel Oduro each scored a goal for the Warriors, while Curtis Julien stopped four shots to record the shutout.  (BOXSCORE)

On Saturday, the consolation match at 1:00 p.m. will pit Asbury against Manhattan Christian, while MVNU and Nyack will square off in the championship match at 3:00 p.m. Following that match, the All-Tournament Team will be announced along with the team trophy presentation.

“Tomorrow’s match will be a tough one against a good Nyack team,” said Furey. “They have a number of very good technical players and we will need to come out and play a solid match in order to try and win this tournament. It is also great to have four Christian colleges come together and have some fellowship together as well. We try to put our intensity of on-the-field play behind us as we get together and get to know each other in our common faith and have some fellowship.”