MVNU Delivers Thrilling Upset Victory Over No. 3 Pilots

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio. – The Mount Vernon Nazarene University men's soccer team (5-1-5, 2-0-1) faced a big Crossroads League showdown against the No. 3 Bethel University Pilots (8-2-2, 1-2-0) on Wednesday, October 2, at CH4 Stadium.

The Pilots came out strong, scoring the opening goal just nine minutes into the match to take a 1-0 lead over the Cougars. However, the night would be defined by MVNU's resilience. Just over ten minutes later, senior Aaron Jolly netted his fifth goal of the season, with fellow senior Zack Bowser providing his fourth assist of the season, leveling the score at 1-1. The score would remain deadlocked at 1-1 as they went into halftime.

In the second half, MVNU took the lead at the 54:14 mark when Bowser netted his eleventh goal of the season, with an assist initiated by Dante Cooper and a final touch pass from Jolly to set up the play. With stellar defense throughout the second half, that was all the Cougars needed to defend their home turf and upset the No. 3 Pilots by a final score of 2-1. This marks MVNU's first victory over Bethel since 2019 when they secured a 1-0 win at home.

Goals Recap:

BU 0-1 (9:41) – Piero Sabroso (Sami Charaf Amal)

MVNU 1-1 (19:51) –Jolly (Bowser)

MVNU 2-1 (54:14) –Bowser (Cooper & Jolly)

Inside the Box Score:

Brayden Pierson played a crucial role in the Cougars' upset victory, improving his record to 5-0-1 as a starting goalkeeper. He made three saves out of four shots on goal.

Bethel outshot MVNU 12 to 6, with BU recording 2 saves on 4 shots on goal.

Bowser - 2 shots taken, 2 shots on goal, 1 goal, and 1 assist

Jolly - 2 shots taken, 1 shot on goal, 1 goal, and 1 assist

Cooper- 1 assist

What's Next:

Men's soccer is set to compete in another Crossroads League match against the Taylor University Trojans at CH4 Stadium on Saturday, October 5.

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,000 students from 25 states and 11 foreign countries.