Lady Cougars wrap up season with loss to Marian

The MVNU women’s soccer team (10-9) finished the season with a 3-1 loss at Marian University in the Crossroads League Tournament quarterfinals.

The Knights wasted no time getting points on the board as Courtney Denney scored the first goal in the fourth minute of play.

Four minutes later, the Knights again found the back of the net, this time from Olivia Annee. About 12 minutes later, Marian took a 3-0 lead off a goal from Ali Nelson.

The Lady Cougars came back from the halftime break with a new energy, and cut the deficit to 3-1 just five minutes in to the second half.

Although the Lady Cougars played with resilience, the Knights held off MVNU to earn a berth in the Crossroads League Tournament semifinals.

“I’m so proud of the growth and fight that our team has displayed throughout the year,” Cougars Coach Daniel Seiffert said.

“We competed well and matured while running a gauntlet that included six top-25 ranked teams, and among them, the No. 1, 2 and 3 teams in the nation,” he added.

Coach Seiffert described leading his women as an honor and blessing. “This is such a wonderful group of young women who are always pursuing excellence in everything that they do,” Seiffert said.

The Lady Cougars will graduate seniors Ashley Flautt, Olivia Boldoser, Emily Heaton, Allison Paley, Shannon Gwynn, Faith Orecchio, and Bethany Bogantz. “We have been very blessed by the seniors and leadership on this team and we, as coaches, could not be more proud of them,” Seiffert said.