The Valparaiso men’s soccer team not only enjoyed success on the field this season, but also off the pitch. With its most wins in three years, national recognition, several academic honors and a successful diversity initiative, the Crusaders were truly champions in the community, classroom and in competition.

The #oneValpo campaign was a huge success for head coach Mike Avery and the Crusaders, as all 20 opponents Valpo faced signed the pledge. The initiative was created to celebrate diversity and raise awareness to the peaceful outcomes of inclusion. The Crusaders boast players from six other nations for a total of 11 international players born outside the United States.  Leading the way is the contingent from Jamaica, as Valpo counts five Jamaicans on its roster. It also was a huge success in the Valpo community, with a majority of Crusader athletic teams and several student organizations signing the pledge. For more information, visit the #oneValpo Facebook page.

The honors were numerous on the pitch as well, with Valpo receiving votes in the NSCAA national poll for the first time and reaching number four in the regional poll, also a program high. They were also ranked 25^th in the Top Drawer Soccer’s poll on Sept. 29, the first time Valpo has ever been ranked in any poll. They were also ranked 22^nd in Soccer America’s Top 25 poll on Oct. 14 along with being 25^th in TDS’s poll.

One of the many highlights was the upset of #7 Michigan State in East Lansing on Sept. 11. It was the highest ranked opponent the Crusaders had ever beaten and was the second straight upset over the Spartans on their home turf. Sophomore defenseman Omar Lawrence (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) scored the game-winner and lone goal in the 57^th minute and classmate goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College) pitched his third shutout of the year.

In addition to the Spartans, the Crusaders faced a challenging non-league schedule this season. The Crusaders faced seven teams with final RPI’s in the top 100, including three in the top 50 and five in the top 75. They took to the road against North Carolina State, Davidson, Dayton and Northwestern among others. Both Big Ten foes made the NCAA Tournament and are ranked in the top-17 in the NSCAA poll. Michigan State’s only losses were to the Crusaders, Horizon League champion Oakland and Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan.

In Horizon League action, the game of the year was Valpo’s come-from-behind 5-2 win against Wright State at Brown Field on Oct. 10. It was the first two-goal comeback in the Mike Avery era, while the five goals were the Crusaders’ most in any league match since Nov. 1, 1998, when they beat Western Illinois 5-4 in a Mid-Continent Conference game.

A number of Crusader players made appearances on weekly national teams as well. Campbell and senior midfielder – and captain – Zev Taublieb (Malibu, Calif./Agoura) were each named to College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Sept. 15 and 29, respectively, while junior midfielder Jordan Aidoud (Lyon, France/CEFAM) was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s Team of the Week on Oct. 13 after scoring three goals in two games.

The Brown and Gold also had several players win the Horizon League Player of the Week awards. Campbell and Lawrence each won on the Defensive side on Sept. 2 and 15, respectively, while Taublieb and Aidoud garnered the Offensive award on Sept. 29 and Oct. 13, respectively.

A trio of Crusaders also collected Horizon League postseason hardware. Taublieb and Lawrence were named Second-Team All-League, while Ramone Howell (Portmore, Jamaica/Jamaica College) garnered All-Freshman team honors. Lawrence collected his second postseason league award, as he was named to the All-Freshman team last year, and Howell is the seventh Crusader to receive All-Freshman team honors in the last four years.

The team finished the season at 8-5-6 and 3-3-2 in the Horizon League. The three league wins and eight wins overall are the most in a season since 2011, when the Crusaders finished 9-6-5 and won the Horizon League regular season title with a 5-1-2 mark.

Valpo’s defense was solid all season long as they finished 31^st in the nation with a .81 goals against average. Campbell had a spectacular year as well, tying former standout Kyle Zobeck for the second best GAA in school history with a .81, while his six shutouts are tied for third-best in a single season at Valpo. The 17 goals given up by the Crusaders are the fourth-fewest in program history, tying the total from the 2012 campaign.

The future is bright for the Crusaders as well, as six of their top eight in points, as well as goalkeeper Campbell, are slated to return in 2015. Three of the top point-scorers - Stian Sandbekkhaug (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/Frisco Liberty), Jordan James (Hellshire, Jamaica/Wolmer's Boys School) and Howell – were all freshmen this year. Howell and Sandbekkhaug were both named to Top Drawer Soccer’s National Top 100 freshman players. Howell cracked the top-50 at #42 and Sandbekkhaug checked in at #87. Aidoud leads all returners with four goals, four assists and 12 points.