Goshen, IN — The sound of the whistle was more like a shriek to Goshen fans Tuesday night; a surreal moment where it was hoped silence would prevail.

Just six minutes into play against Mid-Central Conference rival Spring Arbor University Tuesday night at the Goshen College Soccer Complex, sophomore defender Amy Clem approached a Cougar forward in Goshen’s 18-yard box, looking to make a defensive play on the attacking player.

Her momentum carried her into the player just a moment after the attempted shot.

Spring Arbor was awarded a penalty kick, which it promptly converted for a 1-0 lead.

Things would get worse before they got better.

The Cougars converted goals at the game’s 13th minute-mark and 22nd minute mark, putting Goshen (5-10-1, 2-5-1) in a serious hurt heading into halftime.

“We knew that SAU is a very good team,” said Thavisith Mounsithiraj, Goshen head coach. “I was not surprised at their speed of play and organization. We didn’t mark them tight off the ball at the start and we were tentative in tackling their ball handlers, and the entire Spring Arbor team can dribble well. Once again, giving up that early goal hurt us deeply.”

Spring Arbor cashed in on its second two scores off of different results, the second coming off a beautifully arched shot from a flat angle and the third off a double-hit cross that looked to confuse the Leafs’ defense.

At halftime, Goshen was staring at a 3-0 deficit that seemingly took mere minutes for the Cougars to establish.

“I wish, in soccer, we were allowed to call timeout and make some adjustments and priorities,” Mounsithiraj said. “We were able to make those adjustments in the second half which produced a second-half shut out for us.”

Play did improve vastly for the Leafs in the second 45-minute stanza, as Goshen only allowed a total nine Spring Arbor shots on goal and six corner kicks — respectable numbers given the Cougars’ subsequent MCC Co-Championship with Tuesday night’s win. Goshen was also without starting freshman defender Liz Nafziger, who suffered a lower leg injury during warm ups. Classmate Britt Wyse was called upon, moving freshman Alison Gotwals from an outside midfielder position to defense.

And while Gotwals and Wyse teamed to produce a solid effort in the Leafs backfield following their own personal adjustments to the changes, the loss of Nafziger kept experience and speed on the sideline for the duration of the match.

“Playing the entire match without Liz was tough,” Mounsithiraj said. “Her absence caused us to change our priority a little bit. With Liz being out, we moved Alison into the stopper position. We gained some speed and ballhandling in the middle but also gave those things away on the outside (with the switch). However, Britt was able to step into the outside defensive position and give us quality minutes.”

Goshen was able to record a shot on the Cougars’ goal and a pair of corner kicks on the evening. Nafziger’s injury was classified as a sprain by Goshen College athletic training personnel. She is listed as probable for Saturday’s MCC Tournament first round match.

As the rest of the MCC concluded regular season play Tuesday, the first round tournament pairings and final standings were solidified. Goshen finishes as the league’s seventh-place team, and will travel to face a very familiar Spring Arbor squad (the league co-champs with Indiana Wesleyan University) this Saturday at 12 p.m. Goshen will first conclude its regular season on Wednesday at the Goshen College Soccer Complex, as the team will take on Andrews University at 7 p.m. The program will honor its three senior members — Hannah Eash, Liz Martin and Mary Jo Martin — prior to kick off. For a complete look at final regular-season MCC standings and touranent pairings, click here.

UPDATE, 10/17/06: Goshen claimed a win by default Wednesday evening over Andrews University, whose team failed to participate in the scheduled match. With the forfeit win, Goshen (6-10-1, 2-5-1) now moves onto Mid-Central Conference Tournament play. The Leafs will travel to Spring Arbor University on Saturday. Match time is set for 12 p.m.