The two teams battled through a scoreless first half despite MVNU (10-5-1, 8-3 AMC) having a 6-3 advantage in total shots during the first 45 minutes of action that included five shots on goal.

The Lady Cougars finally got on the scoreboard in the 66th minute when freshman midfielder Rachel Elder sent a pass ahead to junior forward Jessica Estep. Estep converted on the breakaway opportunity to put MVNU in front 1-0 as she notched her team-leading 10th goal of the season and the 52nd of her career. Elder was credited with her second assist of the year on the play.

Just 1:10 later, the Lady Cougars extended their lead to 2-0 when senior defender Mara Hughes headed in a corner kick from senior midfielder Erin Miller. The goal was Hughes’ third of the season and the 12th of her career, while Miller notched her team-high fifth assist of the year and the 16th of her career as she moved into a tie for seventh place on the MVNU all-time list.

That would prove to be more than enough offense for the Lady Cougars as junior goalkeeper Jenessa Loewen (right) and the MVNU defense did the rest in posting the team’s ninth shutout. Loewen stopped two shots, while Brianne Barnes and Alysia Bennett combined for five saves for Cedarville (7-8-2, 5-4-2 AMC). The Lady Cougars led 11-5 in total shots in the match and 8-2 in shots on goal, while the host Lady Jackets held a 5-4 edge in corner kicks.

“After not playing our strongest first half, we definitely came out in the second half and played the way we know how to play and got a good win,” said MVNU coach Daniel Seiffert. “(Cedarville) has a quality team with a lot of good character, and this was an enjoyable match. This was a big win for us. It’s nice to take a five-game winning streak into the postseason and the girls are starting to click quite a bit right now. We definitely have some stuff we want to work on, and it will be nice to have a two-week break as we want to continue to work on stuff as a team and continue to grow. We are one step closer to our preseason goal of making it to the NAIA National Tournament. We have to train hard and prepare so we can put our best foot forward. We are excited about the postseason and are hoping to get some good results there.”

“I could not be more proud of the girls and the effort and hard work that they are putting into this,” Seiffert added. “They continue to work hard every match and want to get better. The back line was very solid again. Mara (Hughes), Angie (Misamore), Denče (Stentz), and Kelci (Rhodes) along with Jenessa did another fantastic job of minimizing Cedarville’s opportunities and getting another shutout. They are playing very strong now. Hopefully, our girls have gained some confidence going into the postseason. We’ve set things up the way we wanted to by earning a bye and having plenty of time to prepare and rest up some injuries. We are excited about this opportunity. God has been very good to us and we give Him all the praise, glory, and honor in all that we do win, lose, or draw. We seek to serve Him in all that we do, and we are excited to see what the future holds.”

With the victory, MVNU earns the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the six-team AMC Tournament that will get under way with quarterfinal matches on November 7. The Lady Cougars will take on the winner of the match between No. 3 seed Notre Dame College and No. 6 seed Walsh University on November 13 in the AMC Tournament semifinals to be held at No. 1 seed Houghton (N.Y.) College. The Highlanders, who won the AMC regular-season title, will take on the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 4 seed Shawnee State University and No. 5 seed Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) College. The winner of the AMC Tournament receives an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on November 21.