The Valpo women’s soccer team opened up a three-match road swing Friday evening in St. Bonaventure, but the Brown and Gold fell by a 1-0 final on a sixth-minute goal by the Bonnies.

How It Happened

• The first shot on goal for either side on Friday resulted in the game’s lone goal, as Rachel Hutchinson hit a high-arcing chip off a cross into the box that snuck inside the post in the sixth minute to put St. Bonaventure on top.
• The game remained 1-0 into halftime, as both goalkeepers stopped a pair of shots on goal in the first 45 minutes.
• Valpo placed all three of its shots on goal in the second half, but could not get one past Lauren Malcolm as the Bonnies made the early goal stand up.

Inside the Match

• Friday’s matchup was the first-ever between Valpo and St. Bonaventure.
• Valpo finished with a narrow 8-7 edge in shots and put five on goal to the Bonnies’ four. Malcolm made five saves for St. Bonaventure, while freshman Georgia Henkel (Houston, Texas/Stratford) made three saves for Valpo.
• Redshirt sophomore Lauren Yoder (Howell, Mich./Howell) placed a pair of shots on frame for Valpo.
• Senior center back Ali Quillen (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek) came off the bench for the first time in her four seasons at Valpo. Quillen entered Friday having started the first 58 matches of her career, while her streak of 2,525 consecutive minutes played also came to an end Friday.
• Valpo featured just two upperclassmen in its starting XI Friday evening – senior Maria Broecker (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester) and redshirt junior Tahelah Noel (Buffalo, N.Y./Christian Central Academy), who was making her first start of the year.

Thoughts From Coach Marovich

“We battled hard again tonight, which is exactly how this group is growing. The early goal forced us to chase the game, but I like how our team responded.”

“We are finding out new things everyday with this very young squad, and they have been outstanding in keeping the right mindset going into each match. We are taking steps forward every day – some days, small steps; other days, bigger steps.”

Next Up

Valpo (0-4-1) plays its second of two matches in western New York Sunday afternoon as it takes on Canisius at 3 p.m. CT. The match can be seen live on ESPN+.