The Lady Tigers (2-0-1) got on the scoreboard in the 25th minute when Michelle Davis took a pass from Rachel Page and found the back of the net for a 1-0 early lead.

MVNU (0-2) had a golden opportunity to equalize in the 32nd minute when senior forward Page Miller (left) had a breakaway opportunity. However, Miller was taken down by Brittany Hengesh outside the penalty area resulting in just a yellow card for Hengesh and the scoring threat was nullified.

Olivet Nazarene tacked on a goal in the 37th minute when Darcy King took a deflection off the goalpost and passed off to Megan Taylor, who shot and scored to make it 2-0.

The score remained 2-0 at the half and until the 62nd minute when Janel Schmitt sent a pass ahead to Cara Sunberg, who was making a run and converted the opportunity into a goal and a 3-0 advantage for the Lady Tigers.

Then, in the 78th minute, Davis capped off the scoring with her second goal of the match as she took a throw-in over a defender and dribbled 40 yards before finding the back of the net to make the final 4-0.

Olivet Nazarene held a slim 15-12 edge in shots with an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal, while the Lady Cougars posted a 6-2 margin in corner kicks. MVNU sophomore goalkeeper Jenessa Loewen posted four saves, while Danielle Johnston stopped five shots for the Lady Tigers.

“We had several opportunities in this match and the stats are indicative of the fact that the match was much more evenly played than the final score indicates,” said MVNU head coach Jonathan Meade. “On offense, we were able to work it to the penalty area, but then we seemed to run out of ideas as to how to create shots. On defense, we just made too many mistakes in the back that we have to work out.”

“We have plenty of talent on this team,” Meade continued. “We just have to put everything together. With all the new players, we are still trying to figure things out. We are looking for freshmen to step up and contribute and we need our upperclassmen to put the team on their shoulders and carry them early on in the season. It is too early in the season to panic - we just need to continue to work to get better.”

After a week of practice, the Lady Cougars will travel to the Spring Arbor (Mich.) University Classic next weekend. MVNU will square off with the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) at 3:00 p.m. on Friday before taking on the host Lady Cougars at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.