Under the lights of Spring Arbor University’s (SAU) new soccer complex on Saturday Nov. 12, there was cheering.

Not because of an intramural victory or a regular season soccer win, but because the Lady Cougars defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene University (MVNU) in the Mid-Central Collge (MCC) Conference championship game.

This is the second consecutive year that the women’s soccer team has accomplished this feat.

Last year, fans from Spring Arbor had to travel to Indiana Wesleyan University to watch the championship game, but this year a crowd of about 550 fans showed up on a chilly 35 degree November night to cheer for both teams.

The Lady Cougars came out ready to score. They had two shots hit the cross bar in the first 10 minutes of play. Freshman Courtney Harrison scored the first goal for the Cougars after getting a pass from junior Maegan Smith.

At the end of the first half, Spring Arbor was up by one, outshooting MVNU 19-3. By the end of the game, the Lady Cougars had a total of 30 shots on goal, while MVNU had only nine. Sophomore goal keeper Brooklyn Morgan had four saves.

The second half brought a more aggressive MVNU team to the field. They stepped up in the physical game trying to find a way to get down to the Spring Arbor goal and score.

MVNU was unsuccessful in their attempts and SAU senior Alyssa Curtis scored a header goal with an assist from junior Megan Wegener. Wegener scored Spring Arbor’s last goal, bringing the final score to 3-0.

The Lady Cougars will be facing Siena Heights University for the first time this season on Saturday, Nov. 19. This will be the first round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championships.

The game will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Spring Arbor soccer complex. SAU students, faculty and staff can enter the game for free with a valid ID. Tickets will be priced at $7.00 for general admission, $5.00 for senior citizens and $3.00 for students.

[WRITER’S NOTE: ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE NOVEMBER 2011 EDITION OF “THE PULSE”]