Friday, November 11, 2011
by ValparaiZone

On Friday, the men's soccer team hosts the semifinal round of the Horizon League Tournament, as the #1 seeded Crusaders take on #6 Loyola at 7 PM. The record-breaking Valpo squad earned the right to host the tournament after a phenomenal season culminating in Valpo's first-ever Horizon League regular-season title.

The Crusaders stormed through conference play this year with a record of 5-1-2 in the Horizon League and posted an overall record of 9-6-4. The Crusaders clinched their third straight winning season after only having one .500 season prior to 2009.

The Crusaders received several accolades for their stellar play this season. Stefan Antonijevic was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, Kyle Zobeck earned Goalkeeper of the Year accolades, and Mike Avery was honored as Coach of the Year.  Antonijevic and Zobeck represented Valpo on the First Team All-League, while Wei Ming Wong, Jonathon Smith and Guy Shabtay earned Second Team All-League honors.  Meanwhile, Eric Nieto and Zev Taublieb received spots on the league’s All-Newcomer Team.

The ValparaiZone will be packed on Friday as the Crusaders hope to advance to Sunday's Horizon League Tournament Championship match in pursuit of a NCAA tournament appearance. Be sure to be a part of the best soccer atmosphere in the conference and cheer on their Crusaders in their historic season.