Valparaiso has earned the eighth seed in the 2008 Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship presented by U.S. Army and will travel to Chicago to take on fifth-seeded Loyola in first-round action on Thursday evening at 7 p.m.

The Crusaders closed the regular season with a 3-0 victory over Detroit on Sunday, improving their overall record to 6-9-3 and their league record to 1-6-1.  Loyola fell by a 2-1 count to UIC Sunday evening, falling to 8-6-3 overall and 3-3-2 in league play.  When the two squads met during the regular season on October 5, the Ramblers defended their home pitch with a 2-0 victory.

The winner of the Valpo/Loyola matchup will meet the winner of fourth-seeded Green Bay and ninth-seeded Detroit on Sunday, with the winner of that meeting taking on top-seeded UIC in the semifinals on Friday, November 14.  #2 Butler, #3 Cleveland State, #6 Wright State and #7 Milwaukee are on the other side of the championship bracket.