Valparaiso (6-1-4, 2-0-0 Horizon)
Valpo returns to league play with two matches in four nights
Wednesday, Oct. 8 – at UIC (2-10-0, 0-2-0 Horizon) – Chicago, Ill. - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 11 – Youngstown State (6-4-2, 2-0-1 Horizon) – Brown Field – 7 p.m.
This Week in Crusader Soccer: Valparaiso carries a 10-match unbeaten streak into this week and looks to remain at the top of the Horizon League table with a pair of league showdowns. The Crusaders travel to UIC for a Wednesday night match before hosting fellow league unbeaten Youngstown State at Brown Field on Saturday evening.
Previously: On Senior Night at Brown Field for the Valparaiso women’s soccer team, it was only fitting that a senior would register the match-winning goal, as Kristen Warner’s first career goal would stand as the eventual match-winner in a 2-1 victory over Loyola Saturday evening. April Cronin also found the back of the net in the Crusader win.
Following the Crusaders: Saturday night’s match will have live video on the Horizon League Network and live audio on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso). Links for the live video and audio on Saturday, as well as live stats for both matches, will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. Over the course of the 2014 season, seven matches will have free live video on the Horizon League Network, including four matches at home, while WVUR, Valpo’s student radio station, will also be broadcasting select home matches.
Head Coach John Marovich: John Marovich holds a 58-43-24 record both overall and with Valpo in his seventh season at the helm of the Brown and Gold. Just the third head coach in program history, Marovich has the best winning percentage (.560) ever at Valpo, and ranks second in total victories.
Series Notes: UIC - This is the first meeting in program history with the Flames, as 2014 is the inaugural season for the UIC women's soccer program.
Youngstown State - Valpo owns a 9-1-3 advantage in the all-time series over the Penguins, including a 2-0 victory over YSU in Youngstown last season. Rita Craven and Robin Wenzel found the back of the net in a nine-minute span early in the second half to give the Crusaders that victory.
Scouting the Opposition: UIC - The Flames enter Wednesday night's fixture at 2-10-0 on the season and 0-2-0 in Horizon League play in their first season of action. UIC most recently fell 1-0 in extra time at Detroit. Jasmin Carrera has netted four of the Flames' ten goals on the season.
Youngstown State - The Penguins enter this week atop the Horizon League standings with seven points (2-0-1), although Valpo has a game in hand, and are 6-4-2 overall. YSU plays at Detroit on Wednesday before its visit to Brown Field. Kathy Baquero (5g, 1a) and Chelsey Haney (3g, 5a) are tied for team-high honors with 11 points, while Jackie Podolsky has seen the vast majority of action in goal and owns a 4-4-2 record with a 1.23 GAA.
Strong Start to League Play: The wins over Oakland and Cleveland State to open Horizon League play mark just the second time since joining the league that Valpo has won each of its first two matches. The 2011 squad also started league play with two wins en route to a 4-2-2 mark in league action. While Valpo is currently second place in the league table, one point back of Youngstown State, the Crusaders have a game in hand on the Penguins.
Unbeaten Streak: The win over Cleveland State set a new record for the longest undefeated streak in program history. With the most recent win over Loyola, Valpo’s undefeated streak now sits at ten consecutive matches, as the Crusaders have not lost since the opening contest of the season. Over that stretch, the team owns a 6-0-4 record. The unbeaten streak has bested the record previously held by the 2006 side, which had gone eight straight undefeated (all victories).
Regionally Ranked: For the first time in program history, the Crusader program has earned a spot in the NSCAA Great Lakes Region poll, as Valpo sits at #10 in this week's iteration of the poll. Valpo is joined in the poll by seven Big Ten teams, as well as one squad apiece from the Mid-American Conference and Missouri Valley Conference.
Seniors Stand Out on Senior Night: Valpo celebrated Senior Night on Saturday against Loyola, and a pair of seniors made it a very memorable night. Erika Schoemann tallied an assist on the match's first goal, marking her first career point as a Crusader, while Kristen Warner found the back of the net for the first time in her career with the eventual match-winning goal.
Cronin Racking Up Goals: Sophomore April Cronin has been busy on the attack recently, scoring three goals over the Crusaders' last four contests. Most recently, the sophomore registered the opening goal in last Saturday's 2-1 win over Loyola.
Craven Scores Pair: For the first time in her career, junior Rita Craven scored a goal that wasn’t the match-winner for the Crusaders – but only because she had already scored the eventual match-winner earlier in the contest. Against Oakland, Craven opened the scoring early on - her sixth career match-winning tally – and then added a penalty kick goal later in the game. It was the first multi-goal game of Craven’s career, and in fact the first by a Crusader since Jackie Kondratko tallied twice against Green Bay on Nov. 1, 2009.
Strong Defense Continues: While Valpo surrendered an own goal to Loyola last time out, the Crusaders continue to be one of the nation's best defensive squads. Valpo, which has posted clean sheets in both Horizon League matches so far, has seven shutouts on the season and has surrendered just five goals through 11 matches. As a team, Valpo ranks seventh nationally in both save percentage (.898) and goals against average (0.42), while goalkeeper Sydney Galvez-Daley is tenth in both categories. Galvez-Daley and center back Shelby Oelschlager have each been named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week once this season as well.
Crusaders Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll: The head coaches selected Valparaiso to finish in fifth place in the Horizon League this season according to the preseason poll. Milwaukee was picked to capture the league title, with Oakland and Wright State right behind the Panthers.
Looking Back at 2013: Last season’s Crusader squad posted an 8-7-3 record, their ninth winning campaign in the last ten years. Included among the eight victories were a season-opening win over DePaul – the program’s first-ever win over a major conference program – and a victory over Northwestern – the Crusaders’ first against a Big Ten opponent. Valpo continued its tradition of being a strong defensive side, surrendering just 15 goals in the 18 games. Ten different players scored goals for the Crusaders, with 16 players in all tallying points.
Roster Breakdown: This year’s Crusader squad brings back 19 players from last season’s roster, 16 of which saw action last year and seven of whom were regular starters. In addition, six newcomers – two transfers and four freshmen – join the fray as well.
