Box Score

                The University of Detroit Mercy scored twice within a four minute span midway through the second half to rally from a halftime deficit and defeat Valparaiso 2-1 on Friday afternoon in Detroit, Mich.

                The Crusaders jumped out on top midway through the first half.  Jessie White (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) sent a long pass ahead to Kendall Brown (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic H.S.) in the right corner and Brown’s high-arcing shot deflected off of Titan goalkeeper Joanna Hinde and into the goal at the 20:47 mark.

                Valpo maintained its 1-0 lead into intermission, but had chances to increase the advantage.  Laura Murphy (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley H.S.) had an opportunity with about five minutes remaining before halftime, firing a shot from 18 yards out that hit the cross bar.

                The Crusaders held an 11-2 advantage in shot attempts in the first 45 minutes, forcing Hinde to make six saves.

                Detroit tied the match with just under 25 minutes remaining as Selena Stanski fired a shot from 23 yards out high into the right corner of the goal.  Stanski and Emily Kiely then assisted on the Titans’ match-winner just under four minutes later as Lauren Roffey scored from 18 yards out.

                Detroit (6-5-1, 3-1 Horizon) outshot Valpo 8-4 in the second half but the Crusaders finished the day with a 15-10 advantage in attempts.  Mele Cabral (Boulder, Colo./Fairview H.S.) made four saves for the Brown and Gold, all in the second half, while Hinde finished with eight stops.

                “We played a very nice first half of soccer today but didn’t play as well in the second half,” head coach John Marovich said afterwards.  “Detroit played well in the second half and took advantage of its opportunities.”

                Valparaiso (8-4-1, 1-3) will look to rebound on Sunday afternoon when the Crusaders return to Eastgate Field to kick off its final three-match homestand of the season.  Kickoff against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville is set for 1 p.m.

Match Notes: Mikki Nuccio (Ortonville, Mich./Brighton H.S.) made her first collegiate start for Valpo … this was the first time this season the Crusaders had been defeated when outshooting opponents … Brown’s goal was the 20^th of her career and 50^th collegiate point and she ranks third on Valpo’s career list in both categories … Detroit leads the all-time series 4-1 … Sunday’s match will kick off Breast Cancer Awareness week for Valpo athletics and the Crusaders will be wearing pink uniforms.