A pair of goals from freshman Jordan Aidoud (L'isled'Abeau, France/CEFAM) helped Valparaiso to a 3-1 victory over IPFW Tuesday evening in non-league play in Fort Wayne, Ind.

"It's always good to get a win on the road, so we're excited about our result tonight," said Crusader head coach Mike Avery. "Overall, I thought we played really well. With the weather, it was definitely not the most ideal situation to play in, but I thought we handled those parts of the game pretty well."

In a game which saw just three combined shots over the first 33 minutes, the Crusaders claimed the lead with just their second shot on goal in the 34^th minute. Junior Yannick Iwunze (Paris, France/Hightower [Texas] H.S. [Barton County C.C./West Virginia]) sent a pass to the right side of the area, where senior Jon Smith (McKinney, Texas/McKinney) received it and beat IPFW goalkeeper Brandon Cloutier inside the far post.

IPFW equalized in the 40^th minute, as Corey Thompson sent a pass across the middle that Corey Tom chipped in for his fourth goal of the season. Both sides looked for the lead before the half, but Kyle Zobeck (Coralville, Iowa/Iowa City West) stopped a Mastodon chance in the 43^rd minute, while Valpo sophomore Gerardo Avelar (San Salvador, El Salvador/Colegio San Francisco) hit the crossbar with an effort just 2:09 before the break.

Valpo took control with a pair of goals from Aidoud in a span of 2:21 early in the second half. Smith had a shot stopped by Cloutier in the 53^rd minute, but Aidoud gathered the rebound and found the back of the net to give the Crusaders a 2-1 lead. Then, early in the 56^th minute, a foul in the box presented Valpo with a penalty kick, and the French freshman stepped up and knocked it home to push the advantage to 3-1, where the game would eventually end.

"Jordan had a really good match for us - it was good to see him score a pair of goals," said Avery. "Jon was really terrific tonight - definitely the best player on the field. He was all over the place tonight and really brought a lot of energy - just a really senior performance from Jon."

The Crusaders ended the match with an 18-11 advantage in shot attempts, putting seven efforts on frame to four for IPFW (3-14-1). Cloutier made four saves for the Mastodons, while Zobeck stopped three shots to earn the win for Valpo.

Valparaiso (5-7-5) closes out the regular season on Saturday night at Milwaukee in a key Horizon League match. The Crusaders can earn a home match in the Horizon League Championship with a win or a draw against the Panthers. Live stats and live video through the Horizon League Network will be available through www.valpoathletics.com.