Senior Isaiah Madrid (Albuquerque, N.M. / Eldorado [FGCU]) remained a goal-scoring machine on Monday night, scoring in the 25^th minute to help the Valparaiso University men’s soccer team stay red hot with a 1-0 road win over Omaha.  

How It Happened

• The lone goal of the match came on a penalty kick, as Madrid converted at the 24:35 mark of the first half to snap a scoreless stalemate. A foul by Omaha inside the 18-yard box set up the PK.
• The best opportunity for the Mavericks came in the waning moments of the match. Omaha took a corner kick at 88:53, setting up a header shot by Elvir Ibisevic that was saved by Valpo goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica / St. George’s College).
• Campbell was credited with five saves to earn the win and improve to 6-2-2.
• The Mavericks outshot the Crusaders 19-5, but the Valpo defense stood tall. Omaha placed five shots on goal, while the only Valpo shot on goal was the Madrid penalty kick.

Inside the Match

• Madrid now has seven goals and 17 points this season. He leads the team in both categories. Monday marked his second match-winning goal of the season and first since Sept. 4.
• The shutout was the 18^th of Campbell’s career, moving him into sole possession of second place in program history. Valpo’s all-time leader in career shutouts is Kyle Zobeck (2008-2012) with 23.
• The Crusaders have not allowed a goal in any of their last three matches and have strung together a four-match winning streak, their longest of the season.

Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Avery  

“It was a gutsy effort from the team tonight, and we are all very excited to have been able to hang on. Omaha is a good team, they hadn't lost at home this season, and it was all we could do to weather the storm at the end. They pinned us in with long throws and tons of service into our box, but Nico Campbell is one of the best goalkeepers in the country and our defense played bravely.”

“We played a tough game less than 48 hours ago, had to turn around and travel with a smaller than usual group, sat a few key guys out to protect them for the coming league games, and we were still able to deal with all that and grind out a positive result against a very good team. There's a lot here for our guys to feel good about.”

“Our focus now is on an early flight home, class and rest. We will get back together later this week and dig into our preparation for another big game Saturday night with Milwaukee.”

Next Up

The Crusaders (6-2-2, 3-0-1) return home to resume Horizon League play against Milwaukee on Saturday. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app, and heard live on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso). Links for the live video and audio, as well as live stats, will be available via ValpoAthletics.com.