Friday, October 31, 2003

Loyola (Ill.) scored just over two minutes into the second half and made it stand up as the Ramblers defeated Valparaiso 1-0 on Friday afternoon at Eastgate Field.

After the two schools played a scoreless first half, Mark Eckerle took a cross from Dino Melitas in front of the goal and beat goalkeeper Jeff Oleck (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral H.S.) for the only goal of the match at the 47:02 mark.

Each side registered 16 shots in the match, but Loyola (7-7-2) held the upperhand 8-5 on goal. Valpo managed just one shot on net in the second half. Both teams had six corner kick opportunities. Loyola recorded 17 fouls in the match, while Valpo picked up 11, and each team received three yellow cards.

Oleck made seven stops for the Brown and Gold, while Sean Bond made five saves in the shutout for the Ramblers.

Valparaiso (2-11-2) will close out the home portion of its schedule on Sunday afternoon when the Crusaders welcome Western Illinois to Eastgate Field. Kickoff is set for approximately 1 p.m. following Valpo's women's match against Centenary.