ST. LOUIS—In the first ever night game played at Spartan Field, MBU Women's Soccer eked out a 2-1 win over Harris-Stowe on Wednesday. The Spartans are now 3-1 overall and in the AMC with a firm grip on second place in the conference.
 
In a battle of two of the top three teams in the American Midwest Conference, MBU and Harris-Stowe proved an even matchup for most of the night on Wednesday. Possession numbers were split for most of the first half before the Spartans took control just before halftime.
 
In the 34^th minute, Maddie Mrazik drew a foul to the left of the Harris-Stowe penalty area. The sophomore then delivered the free kick to the back post where chaos ensued. After a scramble, Nicole Talley poked home the loose ball to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. It was Talley's first of the season and seventh of her career.
 
The Hornets would turn up the pressure as the second half got underway with a long stretch of possession in the MBU end of the field. In the 60^th minute, they finally broke through. Off a free kick, Lizette Popoca headed one home past Hanna Harrison to tie the game at one.
 
It was only tied for a little over 10 minutes though. In the 72^nd minute, the Spartans hit on the counter-attack starting in their own half of the field. Maggie Tovar was able to lay a ball off for Madi Dunahue who cut inside to her favored left foot from about 20 yards out. The sophomore's shot eluded Hornets' keeper Ondrea Montgomery to give Missouri Baptist a late 2-1 lead.
 
The final 15 minutes were spent mostly in Spartan territory but the defense held strong. The Hornets let a few chances slip away including what appeared to be an open goal with less than 20 seconds remaining. Off a through ball into the penalty area, Lizette Popoca went around a charging Hanna Harrison but her shot at the open goal was blocked away by centerback Leah Batton, preserving the one-goal victory.
 
Dunahue led the way in the points category for the night with three (goal, assist). Mara George, Mrazik, and Tovar each added an assist as well. Harrison finished with four saves to earn her third win.
 
The Spartans are back in action next Wednesday, October 21, against Hannibal-LaGrange. Kickoff at Spartan Field is set for 4 pm. Although all MBU home games are spectator-free this fall, the match will still be streamed live on SpartanDigitalNetwork.com.