The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team closed out Homecoming weekend with a 1-0 victory Saturday night, defeating Horizon League foe Cleveland State at Brown Field.

“It was great to be at home again tonight, and I thought both teams treated the fans to a very good soccer game,” said Crusader head coach Mike Avery.  “Cleveland State is a good team and I really appreciate the way they try to play. For us, it was rewarding to have a night where the performance and the result lined up. Tonight, we played very well and took the three points that we wanted for the league race.  I'm happy for the boys.”

The Crusaders were able to take advantage for the match-winning goal in the 72^nd minute. After intercepting a failed clearance attempt, Stian Sandbekkhaug (Ottawa, Ont./Frisco Liberty) gained control in the box and was able to strike a shot past the Vikings goalkeeper from 15 yards out for his first goal of the 2015 season.

The defense did the rest, backstopped by junior goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College). Campbell extended his and the team’s shutout streak to 363 minutes in earning the clean sheet, his fourth shutout of the season and third consecutive. Campbell recorded two saves on the game.

The Crusaders threatened to score a number of times before finally finding the eventual match-winner. One of the Crusaders’ best chances came in the 19^th minute, when forward Isaiah Madrid (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado [Florida Gulf Coast]) struck a shot from the right flank, 25 yards out, which swung in towards the near post before coming in just wide and hitting the side netting. Valparaiso continued to get shots as it outshot Cleveland State (3-5-0, 0-2-0 Horizon) 14-6 on the night, including eight shots on goal.

“We now have a quick turnaround before Omaha visits on Monday night,” said Avery. “Despite the physical challenge that Monday night's game presents, we are excited to play another very good and ranked opponent. UNO will give us a different set of problems and that is an opportunity for growth.  We'll need to rely on our depth a bit, but we are anxious to get back out on the field and see if we can't take another step towards our goals.”

Valparaiso (4-2-2, 1-0-1 Horizon) will be back in action at Brown Field on Monday night at 6 p.m. when it hosts nationally-ranked Omaha. Fans can watch online through ESPN3 or can follow live stats through Valpoathletics.com.