#3 Valparaiso (8-6-4, 4-2-2 Horizon)
Horizon League Championships - Quarterfinals
Match #19: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1 p.m. CDT
vs. #6 Butler (8-9-1, 3-5 Horizon)
Eastgate Field - Valparaiso, Ind.

This Week in Crusader Soccer: The 2011 Horizon League Championships begin on Tuesday afternoon at Eastgate Field.  The third-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders host the sixth-seeded Butler Bulldogs, the Brown and Gold’s longtime instate rival, in the quarterfinals.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

On the Air: Tuesday’s match against Butler can be heard live on WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) as well as online at valpoathletics.com.  Live stats will be available through valpoathletics.com for the match as well.

Ticket Information: Tickets for Tuesday’s Horizon League quarterfinal match will be available at the gate.  Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens and children.  Horizon League students are admitted free of charge with valid ID.

Head Coach John Marovich: John Marovich holds a 34-29-13 record both overall and with Valpo in his fourth season at the helm of the Brown and Gold.  Just the third head coach in program history, Marovich has the best winning percentage (.533) ever at Valpo, and ranks second in total victories.

Series Notes: Butler holds a 6-3 all-time series advantage between the two Hoosier State rivals dating back to 1997.  Valpo has won the last three matches overall, including a 1-0 shutout at Brown Field back on Oct. 19 during this year’s regular season matchup.  Valpo is 2-4 against the Bulldogs at Eastgate Field.

Wrapping Up Last Week’s Action: Valparaiso and Youngstown State closed out the regular season on Friday afternoon battling to a 0-0 double-overtime draw after 110 minutes of action.  The Penguins outshot the Crusaders 20-10 in the match, including 15-3 after intermission.  Kristen Manski made seven saves for the Crusaders for her seventh shutout of the year.

Scouting Butler: The Bulldogs enter the Horizon League Tournament having dropped four of their last five matches, including a 2-1 loss at home against Loyola (Chicago) on Friday in the regular season finale.  Elise Kotsakis leads Butler offensively with 14 points on six goals and two assists while Katie Griswold also has scored six times.  Natalie Galovska leads the Bulldogs in goal with a 1.28 goals against average and a .683 save percentage.

Up Next in the Horizon League Tournament: Should Valpo defeat Butler in Tuesday’s quarterfinal match, the Crusaders would advance to the semifinals on Friday evening in Milwaukee, Wis.  A Crusader win would match Valpo against second-seeded Detroit in the first semifinal.  A Butler win and the Bulldogs would face host Milwaukee in the second semifinal.  The other quarterfinal match on Tuesday sees Wright State travel to Cleveland State with the winner facing either Detroit or Milwaukee.  The championship match is set for Sunday.

Matching the Best Horizon League Finish Ever: Valparaiso’s third place finish during the regular season matches the best finish in the standings for the Crusaders since joining the Horizon League prior to the 2007 season.  Valpo also finished third in 2009, defeating Green Bay and Wright State in the tournament before falling to Milwaukee in the championship match.  The Crusaders finished much higher than the preseason prediction of seventh in the coaches’ poll.

Four Crusaders Earn All-League Honors: As the postseason awards were handed out, three Crusaders garnered Second Team All-Horizon League accolades while another was named to the All-Newcomer Team.  Luisa Desario, Rachel Hoaglin, and Casey Pedersen were this year’s Second Team selections.  Desario, a junior, scored four goals and had two assists for 10 points and returned to the All-League Team after earning being named to the First Team in 2009.  Hoaglin, a junior, led Valpo in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 points and tallied three match-winning goals.  Hoaglin was a Second Team pick 2009.  Pedersen finished third on the squad with three goals and three assists for nine points.  For the fifth-year senior, it was her first league year-end recognition.  Kelsey Draper was named to the All-Newcomer Team from Valpo.  The freshman started every match for Valpo solidifying the midfield and added a goal and an assist.

Valpo in the Horizon League Tournament: The Crusaders have qualified for the Horizon League Tournament for the fourth time in the five years in the conference, having missed out on the postseason event last year.  Valpo fell 2-0 to Butler in 2007 before failing to advance against Youngstown State in penalty kicks in 2008 after a scoreless draw.  In 2009, Valpo advanced to the championship after downing Green Bay 2-0 and Wright State 2-1.  The Crusaders fell to Milwaukee in the title match 4-0.  Valpo is 2-3 all-time in the tournament.

Staying Home for the League Tournament: Tuesday’s match against Butler will mark just the third postseason home match in program history for the Crusaders.  In its first match on Oct. 29, 2008, Valpo battled Youngstown State to a 0-0 draw before falling 5-4 in penalty kicks at Eastgate Field.  On Nov. 1, 2009, the Crusaders won a 2-0 decision at Brown Field against Green Bay in the quarterfinals for Valpo’s lone home postseason victory of all-time.

On This Date: This will mark the fourth time Valpo has played on Nov. 1 in program history.  The Crusaders battled to a 1-1 draw with Toledo in 1997 and fell to Milwaukee in 2002, both non-conference matches.  Valpo downed Green Bay in the Horizon League quarterfinals on Nov. 1 of 2009.

Seven Shutouts Fourth Most Ever: With Valpo’s ninth shutout of the season on Friday (Oct. 28) against Youngstown State, the Crusaders have passed the 2007 and 2009 squads for second on the all-time single season shutouts list.  This year’s team is just one clean sheet behind the 2008 team which holds the school mark with 10 shutouts.

Pencil Her in the Lineup: Tracy Roos has started all 76 matches during her four year career with the Brown and Gold on the backline, tied with Jackie Thomas (2005-2008) for sixth on the all-time starts list.  Her next start will tie her with Jennifer Grupe (1998-2001) and Allison Swanson (2002-2005) for fourth on the all-time charts.  Roos ranks eighth on the matches played list as well, and is one appearance shy of tying for sixth all-time.

Hoaglin on the All-Time Scoring Charts: Rachel Hoaglin has moved into a seventh place alone on Valpo’s career scoring list.  Hoaglin has 36 points during her three-year Crusader career, tied with Elizabeth Tatro (1993-1996) for fifth on the career list.  She is four points shy of Lisa Springs (1998-2001) for fourth on the all-time charts.    She is also tied for eighth with five match-winning goals.

More Scoring: Rachel Hoaglin has scored 14 goals, tied with Sarah Jewell (2006-2009) for sixth on the all-time charts, one goal behind Elizabeth Tatro (1993-1996) for fifth place.  She has also registered eight career assists, tied with Lori Johnson (2005-2008), Laura Murphy (2005-2008), and Jesse White (2006-2009) for ninth on the all-time charts.

Desario in the Record Books Too:  Luisa Desario has scored 13 goals, tied with Jackie Kondratko (2006-2009) for eighth all-time at Valpo.  Desario is also one assist shy of the all-time list with seven career helpers tied with teammate Trisha Wladecki, trailing Lori Johnson (2005-2008), Laura Murphy (2005-2008), Jesse White (2006-2009) and current teammate Rachel Hoaglin for ninth place.  The trio all had eight assists.  Desario also moved into the top-10 all-time for points with 33, tied with Sarah Jewell (2006-2009), and Kontratko for eighth.

More Record Book Watching: Luisa Desario has moved into the top-five in school history with 154 career shot attempts, passing Lisa Springs (1998-2001).  Desario is 11 shots behind Elizabeth Tatro (1993-1996) for fourth on the all-time charts.  Brooke Henderson is also eighth on the career shot chart with 106 during her four years at Valpo.  Desario is also tied for eighth on the all-time list with five match-winning goals in her career after recording her most recent one at Loyola (Chicago).  

Keeping Them Clean: Kristen Manski has passed Amy Cavanaugh (1996-1999) and moved into third place with 12 career clean sheets in a Crusader uniform.  In addition, Manski’s seven shutouts this season have ranked third on the single season charts. Manski is one shutout behind Mele Cabral (2009) for second on the single season list at Valpo.

Manski on Goalkeeping Charts: In addition to shutouts, Kristen Manski ranks fifth all-time for minutes played in goal (2933:45), seventh in matches played in goal (32), and eighth all-time with 121 career saves.

Among the Best All-Time: Kristen Manski has posted a 0.86 goals against average this season and is on pace for the second best GAA in a single season in Crusader history.  Mele Cabral set the school mark at 0.71 in 2008 while Erin Murray posted a 0.87 mark in 2006.

All-Tournament Team Accolades: Valparaiso had three players named to the Crusader Classic All-Tournament Team in September.  Goalkeeper Kristen Manski, who posted a shutout against Air Force, defender Tracy Roos, and midfielder Luisa Desario each earned the honors following the tournament.

Pedersen Earns Player of the Week Honors: Casey Pedersen was named this week’s (Oct. 24) Horizon League Player of the Week after scoring a goal and adding a pair of assists against Butler and Wright State.  She drew an assist on the match-winning goal against the Bulldogs and added a goal and an assist against the Raiders.

Hoaglin Named Horizon League Player of the Week: Rachel Hoaglin earned the first Horizon League Player of the Week honor of her career on Sept. 19 after scoring a pair of match-winning goals for the Crusaders against Green Bay and Bowling Green.

Team Captains: Valpo has co-captains for the 2011 season.  Senior Tracy Roos has been named a team captain for the third straight season and will be joined in that role by classmate Brooke Henderson.

This and That: Valpo has tied its last six overtime contests dating back to last season ... all-time the Crusaders are 14-15-28 in overtime matches ... Valpo is assured of finishing at least .500 for the seventh time in program history ... seven of Valpo’s 11 starters (Casey Pedersen, Brooke Henderson, Kelsey Draper, Janine Lytle, Laura Romberg, Tracy Roos, and Amanda Ulin) have been constant in each match.