The Cougars (2-2-0) wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard when sophomore forward Rockey Cane recorded his second goal of the young season as he took a cross from sophomore midfielder Cody Snouffer and ripped a shot into the back of the net to give MVNU a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.

Less than three minutes later, senior forward Adam Worrall picked up a loose ball after a Nyack (2-1-1) defender had his clearing shot ricochet off a Cougar player and over to Worrall. He quickly gathered the ball and beat the defense before slotting a shot into the net for a 2-0 advantage. The goal was Worrall’s team-leading fifth of the season as he has had at least one goal in each of the team’s four matches. It was also the 27th career goal for Worrall as he will move into 10th place in school history when he scores again.

MVNU extended the lead to 3-0 in the 37th minute when junior defender Brady Swanson (left) headed in a corner kick from junior midfielder Chris Mast for his second goal of the year - both in the tournament.

That would prove to be all the scoring in the match despite numerous opportunities for the Cougars as they had two penalty kicks stopped by Nyack goalie Curtis Julien. MVNU held a commanding 29-3 lead in total shots and a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Alex Stout only had to make one save to notch his 14th career shutout for the Cougars, while Julien posted nine saves.

“We really came out ready to play today,” said MVNU head coach Paul Furey. “Right from the start, we got things going and got the early goal. As the statistics indicate, we really controlled the entire match. It was great getting on the board early. The front line played well and the midfield controlled the match, but the back line was exceptional. Kemar (Jackson), Tyler (Warwick), Zach (Patterson), and Brady all played phenomenal as they only allowed one shot on goal. That was the difference today. We feel really good about the way we played today, but we need to find a way to continue that in the days ahead.”

“This tournament has always been pretty special and it’s great to win it,” said Furey. We appreciate the community support and the fan support we had today. It made it a lot of fun. We also appreciate the support of First-Knox National Bank in making this tournament possible each year.”

In the consolation match earlier on Saturday, Manhattan Christian (Kan.) College defeated Asbury (Ky.) College 4-1 as Jared Stafos scored a pair of goals for the Crusaders (2-1-0). Drew Proctor and Nathan Love also added one goal apiece with Zack Watkins registering an assist. Meanwhile, Nick Kerhoulas scored Asbury's lone goal with Matt Jackson being credited with the assist.  (BOXSCORE)

Swanson was selected as the overall Most Valuable Player of the tournament, while Worrall was the Most Valuable Offensive Player and Patterson was the Most Valuable Defensive Player. Mast and Snouffer were also named to the All-Tournament Team. Greg Allen, Seth Galloway, and Richmond Baah all from Nyack, Asbury’s Brent McGee, and Manhattan Christian’s Stafos and Tim Krigbaum also landed spots on the All-Tournament Team.

“Brady was very deserving of the MVP award as he played well on our back line,” said Furey. “He gave us a big goal today on a great header and adding one goal yesterday really made the decision to have him as the MVP the right one.”

The Cougars will return to action on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. when MVNU will host Knox County rival Kenyon College in a non-conference match.