The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team raised its unbeaten streak to five and stayed undefeated in Horizon League play by virtue of a 1-1 draw with Milwaukee on Saturday night at Brown Field. Matthew Gweh (Apple Valley, Minn.) accounted for the lone Valpo goal, helping keep the Crusaders atop the Horizon League table in the process.

How It Happened

• In the 40^th minute, Gweh ran into a long lead pass from Ramone Howell (Portmore, Jamaica / Jamaica College), then fired a shot from 20 yards out. The ball eluded charging Milwaukee goalkeeper Sam Glass.
• The Panthers equalized when Evan Conway played a long pass down the left side and beat Valpo keeper Nico Campbell inside the near post. Francesco Saporito fed Magnus Flaatedal, who booted the long pass ahead to Conway. Both Saporito and Flaatedal received assists.
• Campbell made two key saves in a one-minute span to keep the match even late in regulation. He was right there to stop a shot by Milwaukee’s Francesco Saporito in the 85^th minute, then turned away Nick Moon in the 86^th.
• Valpo had the only shot on goal of overtime in the 109^th minute, when Howell’s attempt was saved by Glass.

Inside the Match

• Gweh’s goal was his second of the season and the eighth of his Valpo career. He is one of five Crusaders with multiple goals this season.
• Howell moved into second on the team with six points by notching his second assist of the year.
• Each team placed four shots on goal, while the Crusaders outshot the Panthers 14-10.
• The Conway goal was the first allowed by the Crusaders since Sept. 24 at Cleveland State, snapping a stretch of three straight shutouts for the team.
• Campbell and Glass accumulated three saves apiece.
• Four of the five Horizon League matches on Saturday night ended in draws, with only Wright State claiming three points in the standings. Therefore, the Crusaders remain the leaders in a tightly-contested Horizon League.

Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Avery

"We were a bit disappointed to leave a few points on the table tonight, but we also kind of got what we deserved.  We weren't sharp and caused a lot of our own problems, and Milwaukee is a good team so they were able to build some momentum out of our mistakes. At the end of the day, a draw is probably a fair result.” 

“The good news, though, is that the point we did earn keeps us at the top of table for at least another week. Next weekend's game in Green Bay is a big chance for us to take back some points with a road result, so we will use the Tuesday non-conference game as an opportunity to spread some minutes around and get ourselves ready for league play on Saturday. Western Michigan on Tuesday is a great challenge, and has one of the better teams on our schedule, so we will have our work cut out for us in these next few days."

Next Up

The Crusaders (6-2-3, 3-0-2) hit the road for a stretch of four straight matches away from Brown Field. The road swing begins on Tuesday as the Crusaders head to Kalamazoo, Mich. to meet Western Michigan at 3 p.m. CT. A link to live stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.