Valparaiso (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Horizon)
Crusaders open 2015 slate with pair of tough road tests
Friday, Aug. 21 - 6:30 p.m. CT – Notre Dame, Ind. – at #9 Notre Dame (0-0-0)
Sunday, Aug. 23 - 1 p.m. – Evanston, Ill. [Evanston Township H.S.] – at Northwestern (0-0-0)
This Week in Crusader Soccer: Coming off of the most successful season in program history, the Valparaiso women’s soccer team opens the 2015 campaign this weekend with a pair of tough road tests, traveling to face off against #9 Notre Dame Friday night before heading into Illinois to take on Northwestern Sunday afternoon.
Previously: The Crusaders went 0-1-1 in two exhibition matches last weekend as part of preseason preparations for the start of the regular season. Valpo battled to a 1-1 draw at Ohio last Friday and dropped a 1-0 decision to Central Michigan at home on Sunday.
Following the Crusaders: Both matches this weekend will have live stats available through ValpoAthletics.com. while Friday’s match will have a free live video broadcast from Notre Dame as well. Over the course of the 2015 season, seven home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN3.com, while WVUR, Valpo’s student radio station, will also be broadcasting select matches.
Head Coach John Marovich: The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year, John Marovich holds a 66-44-24 record both overall and with Valpo entering his eighth season at the helm of the Brown and Gold. Just the third head coach in program history, Marovich has the best winning percentage (.582) ever at Valpo, and ranks second in total victories, just 12 wins shy of the top spot.
Series Notes: Notre Dame – Valparaiso has lost both prior meetings to the Fighting Irish, both of which have come in NCAA Tournament play. Last season, the Crusaders and Notre Dame met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, where a goal by the Irish in the 90th minute proved to be the match-winner in a hard-fought 1-0 loss for Valpo.
Northwestern – Valpo is just 1-4-0 all-time against the Wildcats, but won their only meeting against the Big Ten foe under John Marovich – a 1-0 victory on Brown Field early in the 2013 campaign. Kat Anesini found the back of the net for the match-winner in the 33rd minute, while Kristen Manski stopped four shots in goal to earn the clean sheet.
Crusaders Picked Atop Preseason Poll: The Crusaders were a unanimous choice to repeat atop the league table in 2015, according to preseason polling of the league’s head coaches. Valpo received all nine possible first-place votes, as head coaches were not allowed to rank their own team, to finish with 81 points. Oakland received the remaining first-place vote and was ranked second with 63 points, narrowly edging out Detroit with 60 points.
Looking Back at 2014: Last season’s Crusader squad was a record-setting side across the board, posting a 14-2-4 record, their 10th winning campaign in the last 11 years. The 14 wins marked a new program record, and the team set new marks for winning streak (12 matches) and unbeaten streak (18 matches) as well. The 2014 Valpo side became just the third squad in Horizon League history to post a perfect 8-0-0 record in regular season league play, as the Crusaders swept through the regular season and the tournament as well. Defensively, the squad set a new program best, surrendering just nine goals, while Sydney Galvez-Daley set new individual records for shutouts (12), wins (14) and GAA (0.43).
Craven Back For More: Senior midfielder Rita Craven returns for her final season already the most decorated player in program history. Craven recently was named as one of 28 players to the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, the first Crusader ever to earn a spot on the watch list for collegiate soccer’s most prestigious award. Last year, Craven became the first player in Valpo history to earn All-American honors, as she was named an NSCAA Third Team All-American. In addition, she was an NSCAA First Team Scholar All-American, as well as the Horizon League’s Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.
More Honorees Returning: Craven is far from the only player to receive honors for her work last season returning in 2015 for Valpo, however. All four of the Crusaders’ NSCAA All-Region honorees are back this year, as senior Jenny Fassbinder and juniors Shelby Oelschlager and April Cronin were all Second Team All-Region choices. Both Fassbinder and Oelschlager started all 20 games on defense last year, while Cronin led the Crusaders with nine goals scored. Galvez-Daley is back as well, a Second Team All-League pick by the league and the league’s Defensive Player of the Year as chosen by College Sports Madness, while Vanesa Abad (6 goals, 1 assist) returns for her sophomore season after being named the Horizon League Freshman of the Year last year. In addition, Morgan Manzke – the 2013 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year – returns as well after using last season as an injury redshirt year.
Roster Breakdown: This year’s Crusader squad brings back 18 players from last season’s roster, 16 of whom saw action last year and eight of whom were regular starters. In addition, nine newcomers – one transfer and eight freshmen – join the fray as well.
