Spring Arbor University freshman Olivia Clark made her presence felt in the Cougar's MCC conference opener, burying a left footed strike in the 47th minute to notch the game winner over rival Indiana Wesleyan on the road in Marion, Indiana Tuesday night.

The #11 Cougars controlled much of the first half, but it was the host #RV Wildcats who would draw first blood, as Kylie Dial's long range effort took a skip on the turf and found it's way past SAU goalkeeper Brooklyn Morgan in the 31st minute of play.

Spring Arbor was quick to respond however, as less than a minute and a half later Maegan Smith tallied her league leading 11th goal of the season to draw the Cougars even.  Smith received a long service from junior Cheyenne Martinez-Trevino, quickly spun her defender and beat Wildcat goalkeeper Jamie Spiedel to the top left side of the net.

In spite of some decent offensive pressure by the Cougars, the Wildcat defense stood tall over the remaining 13 minutes of the opening frame and the two teams went into halftime knotted at one all.  SAU out-shot the Wildcats 10-4 in the first half.

Clark was quick to find the game winner for SAU in the second stanza.  The 5'8 Ann Arbor, Michigan native took a crossing pass from junior Braydan Wiles and coolly cut back twice on her defender before sending the winning effort home past a sprawling Spiedel in the 47th minute.

The rest of the second half proved to be a defensive battle, as both teams shifted formations over the final thirty five minutes of play.  The Cougar defense was stellar, holding the Wildcats to just one shot in the second half and five total for the game.  SAU managed five shots in the second stanza and finished the game with a 15-5 bulge in attempts.

"At times our youth showed through a little tonight, but this is a significant win for us," commented SAU head coach Jason Crist.  "I was proud that we battled back after going down early, and our players did a nice job of taking what the game was giving us tonight.  I would have liked to see us take better care of our goal scoring chances, but I think defensively we played very well.  Throw rankings and records out the window when Indiana Wesleyan and Spring Arbor meet in women's soccer.  It's a great rivalry and always a hard-fought, tight game."

The Cougar defensive efforts, spearheaded by the play of backs Hannah Adams, Alyssa Curtis, Cheyenne Martinez-Trevino, Becca Lynn and Amanda Curtis as well as defensive midfielders Ashley DeNio and Braydan Wiles have proven to be a strength for the team this year, as Spring Arbor has out-shot their opponents 220-90 on the season.

"Our midfielders and backs have been very consistent this year," noted Crist.  "They have allowed our forwards the opportunity to get comfortable with each other.  They have been the cornerstone of our season up to this point."

Spring Arbor (8-1-1) is back in action on Saturday when they welcome the #2 ranked team in the MCC, the Marian University Knights to campus for a 2 p.m. kickoff.  Marian is receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 polls.