Junior midfielder Jessica Estep (left) got MVNU (5-3-1) on the scoreboard just 3:02 into the match when she took a long ball from freshman forward Jessica Linger and buried it into the back of the net for a quick 1-0 lead. The goal was Estep’s team-leading fourth of the season and the 46th of her career, while Linger registered her first career assist.

That would prove to be all the scoring in the match as the Lady Cougars notched their fifth shutout of the season as the defense stood firm to give MVNU the hard-fought 1-0 victory. The host Ladies of Kenyon (3-7) held a 14-8 advantage in total shots and a 5-4 edge in shots on goal. However, Jenessa Loewen, the Lady Cougars’ junior goalkeeper, stopped five shots to post her fourth shutout of the year and the team’s fifth. Kat Powers stopped three shots on goal for Kenyon.

“Our performance was okay today, but not necessarily one of our best performances,” said MVNU coach Daniel Seiffert. “I told the players that good teams find a way to win even when they don’t play their best and we did that today. It was not our best performance to say the least, but we found a way to get the job done and end up on top.”

“I am proud of the girls for holding strong,” Seiffert added. “The back line came up big by getting another shutout. They have been solid all year long and just continue to impress me. (Senior) Nikki (Bruscino) had to play in the back all 90 minutes due to injuries and she did a solid job.”

“Even though they out-shot us, I still felt like we had more opportunities to score,” said Seiffert. “We did show a lot of tenacity and worked hard. Amanda (Woods) and Sarah (Buehler) also did a great job off the bench and gave us great minutes, especially in the second half. It is important for the girls on the bench to be ready when they get the opportunity, and our reserve players were ready today.”

The Lady Cougars will return to action next Friday when MVNU will host NAIA No. 22 Houghton (N.Y.) College in an important American Mideast Conference match at 4:00 p.m.

“We are going to gear up for our match with Houghton next Friday,” said Seiffert. “It is going to be a real battle.”