The Cougars (10-5-1, 4-2-1 AMC) got on the scoreboard in the 17th minute when sophomore forward Chris Allen followed up an initial shot by junior defender Kemar Jackson to give MVNU a 1-0 advantage. The goal was Allen’s fifth of the season and 11th of his career, while Jackson notched his second assist of the year.

The Cougars’ lead grew to 2-0 in the 31st minute when senior defender Brady Swanson headed in a goal off a corner kick by senior midfielder Scott Spangler (left). For Swanson, it was his third goal of the season and the 13th of his career, while Spangler notched his seventh assist of the year and the 22nd of his career.

MVNU appeared ready to take the 2-0 lead to the halftime break when Walsh (10-5, 5-3 AMC) was able to cut the deficit in half with just two seconds remaining in the half as Matt Bly followed up George Moga’s initial shot and found the back of the net to make it 2-1.

The Cavaliers knotted the match at 2-2 early in the second half when Ben Truax took a pass from Camden McCreary and scored the equalizer in the 52nd minute.

The match appeared to be heading to overtime with the score still knotted at 2-2 and time winding down. Then, with under a minute remaining, the Cougars were whistled for a foul just outside the penalty area. With 49 seconds left in regulation, Truax bent the ensuing free kick into the net for what would prove to be the game-winning goal as Walsh took a 3-2 lead.

The Cavaliers finished with a 12-10 advantage in total shots, a 10-7 edge in shots on goal, and a 7-4 lead in corner kicks. Senior goalie Alex Stout posted seven saves for MVNU, while Mike Kelley stopped five shots for Walsh.

"This was a tough loss for us in terms of what it does for our postseason,” said MVNU coach Paul Furey. "We can still claim a spot in the posteason with two wins. We felt like we had this match because we were up 2-0. It was very untypical of us to allow a team to get back into a match like that, but Walsh battled hard and I give them credit despite the fact that we could have taken care of things early on and put it out of reach.”

"Now, it’s just a matter of preparing for our final regular-season week of play,” Furey added. "Right now, our focus turns towards beating Malone and having a good week ahead.”

The loss drops the Cougars to the No. 6 spot in the current AMC standings with the top five teams making the AMC Tournament after next week’s action. MVNU will return to the pitch on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. when the Cougars will host Malone University. That match will also be senior day with the Cougar seniors being honored at halftime.