After a scoreless first half, Spring Arbor (2-3-0) took advantage of a no-call when Heidi Sharp knocked MVNU junior defender Mara Hughes off the ball and passed it ahead to Katie Saylor for a goal in the 71st minute as the hosts took a 1-0 lead.

Seven minutes later, Spring Arbor struck again. When a foul was whistled at midfield on the hosts on a 50-50 ball, the visiting Lady Cougars (1-3-0) hurriedly pushed everyone up to try to equalize. However, the center official changed her mind and at the last second awarded the ball to Spring Arbor and allowed play to resume with all the MVNU field players pushed up to midfield and beyond. Megan Cogan quickly sent a pass ahead to Kristin Abbott for an insurance goal as Spring Arbor took a 2-0 lead.

The Lady Cougars had at least two good scoring opportunities in the match. In the first half, a clearing shot by a Spring Arbor defender ricocheted off a player, over goalkeeper Samantha Suter’s head, and just over the crossbar. Then, in the second half, senior midfielder Erin Miller (above) had a side-volleyed shot glance off the crossbar.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jenessa Loewen posted seven saves in goal for MVNU, while Suter stopped nine shots for Spring Arbor. The hosts held a 23-19 advantage in total shots, while shots on goal were even at 9-9. The Lady Cougars owned a slim 3-2 edge in corner kicks.

“I am proud of the way our players kept their composure despite having a couple of key calls go against us,” said MVNU head coach Jonathan Meade. “They competed well and continued to get stronger as the match went on. Our back line was also superb against three good forwards. We are continuing to make strides and just need to keep working on putting everything together.”

The Lady Cougars will return to action on Friday when MVNU will host the Cougar Classic Invitational. Spring Arbor will take on Judson (Ill.) College at 2:00 p.m. followed by the Lady Cougars versus Notre Dame College at 4:00 p.m. That match will also be MVNU’s American Mideast Conference opener as they will begin the quest for a third straight conference title. Then, on Saturday, Spring Arbor and Notre Dame will square off at 1:00 p.m. with the Lady Cougars taking on Judson at 3:00 p.m.