Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Valparaiso men’s soccer program will conclude its spring season on Saturday afternoon with an alumni game at Brown Field at 12:30 p.m. before welcoming Taj Weekes, whose charity They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) the Crusaders have partnered with, and Adowa to town for a concert that night beginning at 9 p.m.

The Crusaders closed the outdoor competition portion of the spring season last Saturday at Notre Dame, splitting two games against a pair of Big East top-25 programs that went to the NCAA Tournament last season.  Valpo defeated DePaul, 1-0, before dropping a tight 2-1 decision to the Fighting Irish.  The Crusaders ended the spring season with a 6-2-1 record.

Saturday’s alumni game will kick off at 12:30, featuring over 30 alumni from graduating classes dating all the way back to 1983.  The alumni team will be guided by Danny Jeftich, Sr., the program’s first head coach (1983-1990).  A barbecue and awards ceremony will immediately follow the game, adjacent to Brown Field, and all Crusader men’s soccer supporters are invited to attend.

The concert Saturday night will be held at Martini’s Bar and Grill (1004 Calumet Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383).  Crusader men’s soccer class of 2007 alum Henrik Turk will open at 9 p.m. with a brief acoustic set, followed by Weekes and his band, Adowa, taking the stage at about 9:30 p.m.  Tickets are $3 presale and $5 at the door (must be 21 or over to attend), and donations to the men’s soccer program will be accepted.  Tickets can be purchased ahead of time by contacting Crusader men’s soccer assistant coach Jeff Oleck at 219-464-5059 or by stopping at the soccer office during the day.

"In terms of our soccer season, we need the spring season to prepare for a strong fall,” said Crusader head coach Mike Avery on the team’s work this spring.  “We need that spring season to have both moments of success and moments of challenge.  We need to face both with the maturity of the successful athlete who knows that the lessons of each day will help us achieve our goals in the coming season.”

“From this perspective, our spring season has been awesome.  I really like how far our team has grown since January and I have seen a tremendous amount of development from our younger players that haven't had the chance to play as often yet.  Most importantly, I like the mindset of our program right now.  I feel like we have a firm handle on the team's culture, and that the expectations are higher than at any other time since I have been around.”