After falling 1-0 in double overtime to Houghton (N.Y.) College on Friday, MVNU (5-5-1, 3-3 AMC) wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard as the Lady Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute when junior midfielder Jessica Estep (left) settled a loose ball and then beat several defenders before finishing the play off with her team-leading fifth goal of the year. It was also the 47th goal of her illustrious career.

The Lady Raiders (6-4-3, 5-1-2 AMC) responded with a goal of their own just six minutes later as Erika Luedke slipped a through ball to Laura Willit, who found the back of the net with a shot to knot the score up at 1-1.

After the frenetic scoring pace to start the match, both defenses began to limit their opponents’ scoring chances. Despite a 12-4 advantage in total shots in the second half, MVNU was unable to take the lead as the match was still tied at the end of regulation and went into overtime.

After the first 10-minute overtime period went by without anyone scoring, the two teams prepared to play the final 10-minute overtime period. Just 13 seconds into the second overtime, Kelsey Medeiros stole the ball from an MVNU defender , dribbled a few strides, and then fired the ball into the net for the game-winner as Roberts Wesleyan prevailed 2-1.

"This was a tough match,” said MVNU coach Daniel Seiffert. "After a long hard match last night, we were not too fit today. I was proud of the girls’ work ethic, especially in the first and second half of regulation. We definitely controlled the match and we out-shot them (19-11). We had more (scoring) opportunities in the match, but we just could not end up on top. We will learn from this and continue to get better as we prepare for our next match.”

"I was very proud of my senior girls,” Seiffert added, referring to Nikki Bruscino, Angie Misamore, Erin Miller, and Mara Hughes who were honored at halftime. "They are incredible players and incredible young women. We still have quite a few matches left, but it has been a pleasure coaching them this season. My heart goes out to them with these two tough losses.”

The Lady Cougars posted a 19-11 advantage in total shots and a 10-6 edge in shots on goal along with a 3-1 lead in corner kicks. Junior goalie Jenessa Loewen recorded three saves for MVNU, while Hughes cleared one ball off the goal line with a header midway through the first overtime. Amanda Prestigiacomo posted eight saves for the Lady Raiders, who also had one non-goalie save.

The Lady Cougars will look to bounce back when the team travels to Shawnee State University for another AMC match on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.