Complete Notes in PDF

Match #10: Friday Sept. 28, 4 p.m. CDT

Indiana State (4-6, 0-0 MVC)

at Valpo (5-4, 0-0 Horizon)

Match #11: Sunday Sept. 30, 2 p.m. CDT

Butler (2-5-1, 0-0 Horizon)

at Valpo (5-4, 0-0 Horizon)

This Week in Crusader Soccer: Valparaiso starts a stretch of five home matches in their next six contests this Friday afternoon as the Crusaders entertain Indiana State at Eastgate Field in the team’s final non-conference tilt of the season. On Sunday, the Brown and Gold will open Horizon League play for the first time as Valpo entertains instate rival Butler in the first of eight conference matches.

On the Air: Both Friday’s and Sunday’s matches against Indiana State and Butler will be carried live by WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) and online at www.valpo.edu/athletics. Students will be providing both the play-by-play and color commentary.

Series Notes: Valparaiso leads the series with Indiana State 5-2 dating back to the 2000 season. The Crusaders have won the last three meetings against the Sycamores, including last year’s 2-1 overtime victory to open the season in Terre Haute. Butler has won all three previous meeting with Valpo, but the two schools have not met since the Bulldogs defeated the Crusaders 3-0 on October 2, 2002 at Eastgate Field.

Scouting Indiana State: The Sycamores had their two-match winning streak snapped Sunday with a 3-0 loss at home against Illinois. The match at Valpo is Indiana State’s lone road contest in its current seven-match span. Sarah Whiteley leads the team with four goals while Caitlin Noble and Lauren Podolski have three goals and two assists each. In goal, Rachel Rudzis has logged the majority of the minutes registering a 2.32 goals against average and a .728 save percentage.

Scouting Butler: The Bulldogs have dropped three straight matches including a 1-0 decision Sunday against Toledo. Butler opens Horizon League play on Friday at home against Milwaukee to wrap up a four-match homestand before heading to Valpo on Sunday. Butler is led by Angie Muir who has three goals and 10 points after dishing out four assists as well. Carrie Twyman also has scored three goals. Annalise Larkin has been a mainstay between the posts, notching an .810 save percentage and a 1.43 GAA.

Wrapping Up Last Week’s Action: Valpo ventured to California last weekend and came up on the short end of a pair of 1-0 contests. Friday the Crusaders gave up a goal in the 20th minute at Pacific for the lone tally. Erin Murray made 10 saves for the Brown and Gold in goal. On Sunday, Valpo took Saint Mary’s (Calif.) to overtime before the Gaels won on a goal started with a corner kick.

Overtime Success Comes to an End: With Valparaiso’s overtime loss at Saint Mary’s (Calif.) on Sunday, the Crusaders ended its unbeaten streak in extra time at 16 matches dating back to 2003. The Crusaders went 7-0-9 during that span.

Anthony Closing in on Win #75: Head coach Stephen Anthony is two wins shy of 75 for his career. The Crusader leader has led Valpo to 39 victories since the start of the 2004 season.

Murray Keeps Adding to Shutout Record: Erin Murray has already recorded her third shutout this season, giving her 17 for her career. Her school record is the most clean sheets for any Crusader, male or female, in school history. The three shutouts this year already tie for fifth on the school’s single season charts.

Cabral Also Keeps Opponents Off the Scoreboard: Sophomore netminder Mele Cabral recorded her second shutout of the season when she blanked Northern Iowa in the overtime victory earlier this year. She now has two shutouts this year, tying for seventh on the single season shutout list. Her two shutouts also rank her sixth on the school’s career charts. Cabral has not allowed a goal in her last 267:58 dating back to the 2006 season.

Thomas Makes Goals Count: Jackie Thomas currently leads the Crusaders in scoring with four goals, all of which have resulted in match-winners for Valpo. Her four match-winners are tied with Lori Moore (2000 and 2001) and Lori Johnson (2006) for the most in a single season in Crusader history. In addition, Thomas now has five career victors, tied for fourth all-time.

Johnson and Brown Also Score Winners: Lori Johnson is third in school history with six match-winning goals over the course of her career while Kendall Brown is just one match-winner behind, as her five markers are tied for fourth on the all-time list with Jackie Thomas.

Four Among Scoring Elite: Valparaiso currently has four players among the top-10 in school history on the all-time goal scoring list. Junior Kendall Brown is tied for fourth all-time with 15 goals while classmate Lori Johnson is alone in sixth place after scoring a goal this year to give her 12 for her career. Sophomore Sarah Jewell has moved into a tie for seventh on the scoring charts after posting goal number 11 earlier this season. Jackie Thomas has scored four times this year, ranking her in a tie for ninth with eight career markers.

McGlone and Murphy Tied for Seventh on All-Time Assist Charts: Dana McGlone and Laura Murphy each are in a tie for seventh place on Valpo’s career assist list. The pair each have seven helpers during their career wearing the Brown and Gold.

Brown, Johnson, and Jewell Among Points Leaders: Kendall Brown is tied for fourth in school history with 36 career points. Lori Johnson ranks seventh on the same list with her 29 points while Sarah Jewell has moved into eighth place with 24 points over her career.

Pappas Leads Valpo in Assists From the Corner: Freshman Lynnea Pappas has dished out a pair of assists already this season, both coming on restart corner kicks that found teammates’ heads in the goal box. In addition, Pappas also has scored directly from a corner kick opportunity this year.

Valpo Has Five Shutouts in Nine Matches: The Crusader defense has been stingy throughout the first nine matches of the year. Valpo has shutout five opponents, one shy of the current school record of six set in 2004 for single season shutouts as a team.

Valpo Racks Up Corners: The Crusaders have already won 49 corner kick opportunities this season while surrendering just 19 chances to their opponents. Valpo had similar numbers in 2006, racking up 119 chances to just 30 for the opposition.

Home Sweet Home: Valparaiso is 4-1 thus far this season at Eastgate Field, continuing to show how difficult it is for opponents to win on the Crusaders’ home turf. Valpo is now 21-6-1 at home since the start of the 2004 season.

Horizon League Play Begins: For the first time since 1999 when Valpo moved from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Mid-Continent Conference, the Crusaders have a new set of league foes now that the Brown and Gold is in the Horizon League. Valpo has faced every Horizon League team previously at least three times though, so the opponents are not truly new faces.

Valpo Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll: The Crusaders were selected to finish in sixth place in their inaugural season as members of the Horizon League according to the preseason poll conducted of the league’s head coaches. Valpo will open Horizon League play on September 30 at Eastgate Field against Butler.