Sean McGinnis (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) posted a shutout in his first start of the season and Steve Shively (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) tallied his fourth match-winner of the season as the Crusaders blanked IPFW 2-0 Sunday afternoon in Fort Wayne, Ind.

Shively, a freshman, scored the winning goal in the first two matches of the season and has now found the net twice in the last two Valpo wins, both times putting the Brown and Gold in front for good. The speedy forward got the Crusaders on the board first Sunday, beating Mastodon keeper Joshua Howell in the 12th minute off a feed from Henrik Turk (Grayslake, Ill./Mundelein). The assist was the first of Turk's career and the first point for the senior since a goal in his freshman season of 2003.

Valpo went silent the rest of the first half, however, despite launching 12 shots and took until the 84th minute of the match to tally the insurance goal. Jeremy Stacy (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central) did the deed for the Brown and Gold, blasting home a shot from 10 yards off a setup by John Allendorf (Hobart, Ind./Hobart). For Stacy, the goal was his third of the season, remarkable for a player who had scored all of one goal in 53 matches over his first three seasons. Stacy has already set career highs in goals and points (9) this year. Allendorf's assist was his first of the season, and only the second of the senior's career. The Hobart, Ind. native has matched his career highs in every offensive category this year.

For McGinnis, who had watched freshman Ryan Schwarz (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) play every minute of the season in net, the shutout was the second of his career and first since September 4, 2005 against Canisius. McGinnis stopped two shots from the Mastodons, and held firm against an eight-shot second half attack.

The win gives the Crusaders, ranked ninth in the NSCAA's Midwest Regional Poll, seven wins on the season, their highest single-season total since the 1997 team went 8-12-1 and captured the Mid-Con Regular Season Title. Valpo is two wins shy of the program record with at least five matches left this season.

IPFW (1-12-0) got eight saves from keeper Joshua Howell, and was out-shot 19-12. The Mastodons did have six corners to only four for the Crusaders and got a team-high five shots from Chas Perry.

Valpo (7-5-0) will return to Mid-Con play Saturday at 12:00 p.m. against IUPUI.

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