The fourth-seeded Lady Trolls (19-6-2), who were ranked 22nd in the final NAIA poll and won the 2005 NCCAA national title, got on the scoreboard just 1:42 into the match when Nicole Billin took a pass from Brittany Lee and scored to give Trinity Christian an early 1-0 lead.

Then, in the 13th minute, Joy Trethewey extended the Lady Trolls’ lead to 2-0 with a goal off an assist from Billin.

Five minutes later, second-seeded MVNU (15-7-1) cut the deficit in half when junior midfielder Page Miller took a pass from senior forward Kristy Brandolini (left) and scored her ninth goal of the season to make it 2-1. The assist was the team-leading 16th of the year for Brandolini and the 49th of her career as she finishes second in school history in that category. She was the lone Lady Cougar to be named to the NCCAA All-National Tournament Team.

The score remained that way until the 53rd minute when Trisha Airth converted a penalty kick opportunity for Trinity Christian to push the lead back to 3-1.

The Lady Cougars, who won the 2006 NCCAA national title, continued to battle and pulled within 3-2 with 3:02 left in the match when Miller (right) scored her second goal of the match and 10th of the season. However, that would prove to be the final score as MVNU came up just short.

“I’m really proud of how hard we played today,” said MVNU head coach Jonathan Meade. “For the second straight match, coming out flat to start the match hurt us again as we gave up a couple of easy goals early on. However, we battled back and did not give up as we tried to recover from our slow start.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Whitney Tatko posted three saves for the Lady Cougars in relief of freshman goalie Jenessa Loewen who gave up the first two goals. Jill Machiela posted three saves for the Lady Trolls. Trinity Christian had a 10-8 lead in total shots and a 6-5 edge in shots on goal, while MVNU led 5-1 in corner kicks.

“Despite finishing fourth this year, it was a very good experience for us,” said Meade, whose team was ranked 25th in the final NAIA poll. “We had a lot of fun on this trip, and our seniors provided great leadership for us all year. After seeing the kind of competition that is out there, our freshmen know what to expect. This experience will help us down the road.”

While Brandolini and fellow seniors Stacy Robey, Jessica Pagano, Molly Dible, and Melissa Peters wrap up their careers, the rest of the Lady Cougars will look to continue the successful tradition of the program when the 2008 season rolls around.