WMVO Good Times Great Oldies
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men’s soccer team (1-0-0, 0-0-0 CL) came back from a goal down to defeat Shawnee State University (0-1-0, 0-0-0) by a score of 2-1 on Monday night, August 22 at CH4 Stadium.
The opening 45 minutes were back and forth as the Bears and the Cougars battled for possession and scoring chance. Not a whole lot happened by way of chances but things got hot about halfway through the first half and both teams began playing more physical and aggressive. The referees issued seven total yellow cards to the two teams throughout the game.
Ten minutes into the second half, things opened up for the visitors as a great ball played into the MVNU box was unfortunately turned into their own goal by the Cougars. Now down a goal, the Cougars ramped up their intensity and pressure. Keon Boney and Sam Hershey led the attack at the Shawnee State goal with high pressure and lots of energy.
The hosts finally pulled one back with just over ten minutes to play when Boney’s shot ricocheted off the post and right back to the forward, who then passed into an oncoming Hershey who finished with ease. This equalizing goal brought energy into CH4 Stadium and the crowd was now in party mode. The Cougars knew they could get the winner and continued to push for it. It was not even a minute after Hershey’s goal that Boney drove the ball into the opponent’s penalty area when he was harshly brought down by an errant Shawnee State slide tackle. The referee pointed for a penalty and Boney, the man who won the penalty, converted it to give MVNU a 2-1 advantage. The Cougars held out and earned a hard-fought victory on opening night.
Senior goalkeeper Joshua Dunn made three saves in the game.
What’s Next
The Cougars have a short turnaround before their next game, as they travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face off with Point Park University on Wednesday, August 24. Kickoff against the Pioneers is scheduled for 7:00pm.
