After a scoreless first half that saw MVNU (9-5-1, 7-3 AMC) manage just two total shots compared to five by the visiting Lady Pioneers (8-7, 4-6 AMC), the Lady Cougars needed just 22 seconds in the second half to get on the scoreboard. Freshman midfielder Rachel Elder sent a pass to the right wing where Estep (left) ripped a shot into the back of the net to give MVNU a 1-0 lead. The goal was Estep’s eighth of the season and the 50th of her career, while Elder registered her first career assist.

Ten minutes later, Estep was back at it again when she took a through ball from senior midfielder Erin Miller and scored to extend the Lady Cougars’ lead to 2-0 as she notched her team-leading ninth goal of the year and the 51st goal of her career, which ranks fourth in school history. She also moved past former MVNU standout Lisa Hinman and into fourth place in career points with 114 and counting. For Miller, the assist was her team-best fourth of the year and moved her into eighth place in school history with 15 career assists.

That would prove to be more than enough scoring for the Lady Cougars as the MVNU defense took it from there and posted the team’s eighth shutout of the year and extended the Lady Cougars winning streak to four straight matches. Junior goalkeeper Jenessa Loewen posted five saves for MVNU, while Sam Brown stopped two shots for Malone. The Lady Pioneers outshot the Lady Cougars 12-6 for the match and led 6-4 in shots on goal, but MVNU made the most of its scoring opportunities with the two big goals by Estep.

“I was very happy with our girls’ performance today,” said MVNU coach Daniel Seiffert. “We did not start off so strong, but we definitely picked it up in the second half and played a little bit more the way we are used to playing. Jessica had two very good goals as both were good finishes on her part. It was nice to see her picking it up, and the two assists to her from Rachel and Erin were good passes.”

“A lot of girls got minutes today and all 24 girls contributed,” Seiffert added. “I really like the depth on this team as there is not a big drop-off when people come in off the bench. The defense played well and got another shutout.”

“I am happy with the overall performance, but there are still some things for us to work on,” Seiffert continued. “However, we are picking things up and starting to peak at the right time as we head into postseason. We want to take care of business and finish out as strong as possible. That’s our No. 1 goal right now.”

With the victory, the Lady Cougars guaranteed themselves a spot in the six-team AMC Tournament that will get under way next Saturday with quarterfinal matches. MVNU, which is guaranteed at least the No. 3 seed in the tournament, will travel to Cedarville University for the team’s final regular-season match on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. A win by the Lady Cougars or a loss by Notre Dame College in their match against Daemen (N.Y.) College would give MVNU the No. 2 seed and a bye into the AMC Tournament semifinals. The AMC Tournament champion receives an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

The Lady Cougars also welcomed Allan and Silvana Clark and the Soles4Souls RV to the match against Malone on Tuesday. The Clarks are touring the country to help raise awareness for Soles4Souls, which is a non-profit organization. So far, the MVNU women’s soccer team has collected over 500 pairs of new or gently used shoes this season to be distributed to needy people around the world.

“It was great to have the people from Soles4Souls at the match today,” said Seiffert. “It was nice for the girls to see what their hard work and giving back is all about.”