Westerns Steven Brown (left) jumps into the arms of teammate Ron Plute on Sunday after Brown scored his second goal against Vanderbilt University in the Toppers 3-2 win in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference soccer tournament. Photo by Joe Imel

Western Kentucky Universitys soccer team has marched to the arch. The St. Louis Arch, that is. On Sunday, the Hilltoppers (10-10) avenged an earlier season loss in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference soccer tournament, defeating Vanderbilt University 3-2 at WKU Soccer Complex. Senior Steven Brown of Bowling Green sealed the victory with his 10th game-winning goal of the season when a Donovan Schultz shot bounced off Commodores goalie Brad Winter and he directed the loose ball into the open net to make it 3-1 in the 74th minute. I think I turned again, but it was just a scramble up there, Brown said. The keeper, I dont know where he was or what, but I just remember seeing a lot of the goal. I thought to myself, Put this one on goal, because I had missed one just wide earlier in the game. Brown also gave the Hilltoppers a 2-1 lead when Tawanda Chitapa found him in the box with one defender to beat in the 59th minute. I think it is pretty slick out here and the ball just came to me from Tawanda, Brown said. I tried to turn and I think the defender fell while I slipped a little, but I was able to keep my feet enough to turn and get a shot off and it went in. This victory marks the first time in three attempts that Western has advanced to the MVC tournament semifinals since joining the league in 1997.Western took an early 1-0 lead when Schultz took a defensive mistake into the Vanderbilt net. Schultz was applying pressure at midfield when John Nelson mishandled a Mike Diaz pass. The senior from Johannesburg, South Africa, took the ball off Nelsons foot and raced to the goal, where he beat Winter in the 11th minute. Vanderbilt tied the game in the 34th minute when Charlie White scored off a Jeff Baker assist. The game was tied 1-1 at the break. Western coach David Holmes was ecstatic with his teams effort. Our guys came out focused and ready to play, Holmes said. This win is a reward for a team that has fought hard and showed great character all season long. Our senior provided great leadership, and we played with great emotion. In the second half, Vanderbilt threatened, but redshirt freshman goalie Daryl Sattler was there to turn away all Commodore attempts. Sattlers five saves included a couple of dramatic moments during which he charged out of the net to cut down on the attackers angle and deflected a bicycle kick off the foot of Seth Gardner. Vanderbilt added a late goal to make it 3-2 when Baker put a free kick from 25 yards out over Sattler before it hit the cross bar and fell into the goal. Western now will play Creighton University, the tourneys second seed, Friday in St. Louis. In the other semifinal match, Bradley University will face Southern Methodist University. Earlier this season, Western lost 3-0 at Creighton.