The Lady Wildcats (20-2-1), who were ranked 12th in the final NAIA national poll, scored goals in the 31st and 32nd minute to build a 2-0 lead at the half and then tacked on an insurance goal in the 75th minute to advance to the NCCAA National Tournament championship match with the 3-0 victory.

MVNU (15-6-1), which is ranked 25th in the final NAIA poll, out-shot Indiana Wesleyan 14-6 for the match with both teams having three shots on goal. The Lady Cougars also held a slight 6-5 edge in corner kicks.

“I’m extremely proud of the girls,” said MVNU head coach Jonathan Meade. “We were still trying to score a goal with less than 30 seconds left in the match. They just did not give up. Sometimes that’s the game of soccer - you can play so hard, but the other team scores the goals.”

“(Indiana Wesleyan) did a good job and put some good pressure on us in the first half,” said Meade. “We weren’t real sharp in the first half and they got two quick goals. We didn’t regroup very quickly from the first goal and they got the second one right after.”

“We have a group of girls who are winners, are determined, and play hard,” said Meade. “At halftime, they believed in themselves and they believed that they could get the job done. They went out and played hard and tried to do everything they could do to change the tide. We really out-played (Indiana Wesleyan) in the second half, but we couldn’t get the ball in the net. Their keeper made some nice saves in the second half.”

Freshman goalkeeper Jenessa Loewen did not record a save for MVNU as all three of the Lady Wildcats’ shots on goal scored. Meanwhile, Sara Lawson posted three saves in goal for Indiana Wesleyan as she registered the team’s 13th shutout of the season.

“I’m most disappointed for our seniors because we really wanted to get them back into the national championship match,” said Meade. “We’ll do our best on Monday to send them out the best way that we know how. We are looking forward to that opportunity.”

The Lady Cougars will close out their season on Monday at 2:00 p.m. when MVNU will take on fourth-seeded Trinity Christian (Ill.) College (18-6-2) in the third-place match. The Lady Trolls were ranked 22nd in the final NAIA poll.