Despite dominating the box score, the Valpo soccer team was unable to come away victorious in nonconference action Friday night at Brown Field, falling 1-0 to visiting Purdue Fort Wayne on a goal in the 65^th minute.

How It Happened

• Valpo out-shot Purdue Fort Wayne 12-2 over the opening 45 minutes and earned four corners to the Mastodons’ one, but was unable to pull in front, as just one of its 12 efforts were on goal.
• The Beacons kept the pressure on coming out of halftime, and this time started hitting the target, putting nine shots on goal over the final 45 minutes.
• Valpo looked to have taken the lead in the 63^rd minute, as after Cassidy Eckstein (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) unleashed a shot from distance that ricocheted back off the crossbar, Allie Anderson (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South [Xavier]) was on the spot with a follow header which found the back of the net. But the linesman had thrown up a flag for offsides, and after discussion, the offsides decision stood and the score remained 0-0.
• Purdue Fort Wayne moved in front two minutes later, as a free kick in the offensive half led to a goal by Rylee Vruggink.
• Valpo continued to push forward in search of a goal of its own and had a stellar opportunity in the 73^rd minute. Molly O’Rear (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) hit a strike from the edge of the box, forcing Mastodon goalkeeper Samantha Castaneda into a lunging save. The rebound rolled loose towards the far side of the box, where Dana Fish (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan North) ran into an effort which was cleared off the back line by a Purdue Fort Wayne defender.
• With the clock ticking down the match’s final seconds, one final desperation ball into the box for the Beacons was handled by a Mastodon defender, resulting in a penalty kick being awarded with 0:00 showing on the clock. The equalizer was not to be, however, as Castaneda dove to her right and smothered the shot to close out the match.

Inside the Match

• Valpo finished the match with a season-high 28 shots, out-shooting the Mastodons 28-5.
• Valpo also earned six of the match’s seven corner kicks.
• The Purdue Fort Wayne defense saved all 10 shots on goal from the Beacons, with Castaneda making nine saves to go with the team save on the clearance off the line.

Next Up

Valpo (1-4-2) will host its annual Senior Day match at Brown Field on Sunday when Bowling Green comes to town. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with the match set for broadcast on ESPN3, while the Senior Day ceremony will take place at approximately 2:45 p.m.