Valparaiso (5-2-5, 1-0-3 MVC)
Thursday, Oct. 5 - Illinois State (3-4-3, 1-1-2 MVC) - 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 8 - at Drake (7-3-2, 3-1-0 MVC) - 1 p.m.
Next Up in Valpo Soccer: The Valley schedule rolls past the halfway mark this week for the Valpo soccer team with two more conference matches. The Beacons close out a three-match homestand on Thursday evening at Brown Field as they host Illinois State, followed by a road trip to Des Moines to face Drake.
Previously: Valpo remained unbeaten in MVC play last week with a pair of draws at Brown Field, finishing in a scoreless tie with Missouri State before drawing 1-1 with Murray State.
Looking Ahead: The second of two consecutive road matches awaits Valpo Thursday, Oct. 12 at Southern Illinois. The Beacons then come back to Brown Field for Senior Day Sunday, Oct. 15 against Belmont.
Following the Beacons: Both of this weekend’s matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Links for the live video and live stats can be found at ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach John Marovich: In his 16th season at the helm of the Valpo program, John Marovich holds a 126-114-47 (.521) record both overall and at Valpo as a head coach. The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year and the head of the 2022 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year, Marovich holds Valpo’s all-time records for both victories and winning percentage.
Series Notes: Illinois State - The Redbirds hold a 7-3-1 advantage in the all-time series, but Valpo is in front 3-2-1 since joining the Valley. Valpo hasn’t lost in the last three meetings between the two sides, most recently a scoreless draw in Normal last October. Nikki Coryell had to make just one save in that clean sheet.
Drake - Valpo is just 2-6-2 all-time against the Bulldogs, but the two wins have come in the last two matchups between the programs. Last September, in the most recent meeting, Addy Joiner scored what turned out to be the match-winner in the 36th minute and Natalie Graf added an insurance goal in the 61st minute of the 2-0 Valpo win.
Scouting the Opposition: Illinois State - The Redbirds are 3-4-3 overall this season and sit at 1-1-2 in MVC play, picking up all three points last time out as they emerged 1-0 victors over Southern Illinois. Haley Glover has scored five of ISU’s 12 goals on the season. In net, Audrey Brown has played all 900 minutes and owns a 1.80 GAA and a .667 save percentage.
Drake - The Bulldogs come into the week with a 7-3-2 overall record and are 3-1-0 in Valley action, with a Thursday night match at Missouri State before Sunday’s showdown. 11 different players have combined for 20 goals for Drake this season, led by six goals and two assists from Emma Nagel. Addie Ford has played the majority of minutes in goal, with a 0.94 GAA and a .789 save percentage.
Valpo Picked Second in Preseason Poll: The Beacons were chosen to finish in second place in preseason polling of the MVC head coaches. Valpo, which picked up one first-place vote and tallied 107 points in the polling, trailed only Missouri State in the voting. The Beacons far outpaced third-place UIC, which totaled 92 points. Notably, the program has matched or surpassed its preseason projection in each of its first six seasons in the Valley.
Quartet of Preseason Honorees: Plenty of individual standouts have helped Valpo get to the point where it is regarded as one of the Valley’s top programs, and four of them were honored with preseason All-MVC accolades. Fifth-year Nicole Norfolk joined seniors Lindsey DuSatko and Nikki Coryell as preseason First Team All-MVC selections, while junior Addy Joiner picked up Honorable Mention accolades.
Looking Back at Last Season: Valpo’s journey up the MVC table over the last few years culminated last season with a dramatic final day of the regular season which saw the Beacons emerge with the MVC regular season championship - Valpo’s first team title in any sport since joining the Valley. The Beacons finished the season with an 8-7-4 overall record, including a 7-1-2 mark in MVC action to claim the regular season crown. Nikki Coryell was named MVC Goalkeeper of the Year for a third straight season, while John Marovich, Brianne Barnes and Noah Smith were honored as the Valley Coaching Staff of the Year. Nicole Norfolk was named a Third Team All-Region honoree as well.
Regular Season Champions: Trailing by two points entering the final match day, Valpo needed a win and some help to earn the 2022 MVC regular season title, and got both. Molly O’Rear’s goal in the 36th minute against Indiana State not only gave the Beacons a lead they would not surrender, it put Valpo atop the live conference table for good, as Illinois State led Missouri State at that point, 2-0, en route to a 4-2 win. For Valpo, it was the program’s fourth regular season conference championship. Valpo previously won Mid-Continent Conference regular season crowns in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006, and posted a perfect record to claim the 2014 Horizon League regular season title.
Who’s Back and Who’s New: Valpo returns 18 letterwinners, including nine starters, from last year’s squad which claimed the MVC regular season title. The returnees accounted for 16 of the Beacon’s 19 goals and 17 of their 18 assists in Valley play last season. 11 newcomers round out the 2023 roster - nine incoming freshmen, one transfer and one redshirt.
Incremental Improvement: Since finishing joint sixth in the MVC table and missing out on the conference tournament via tiebreaker during the 2018 season, Valpo has improved its position in the final Valley standings each of the next four seasons. Valpo closed out the regular season in fifth place in 2019, finished tied for third in the spring of 2021 and were regular season runners-up in the fall of 2021 before claiming the regular season crown last fall.
Defense Stands Tall: Valpo’s success in conference play the last few years starts in the back with the strong play of three-time MVC Goalkeeper of the Year Nikki Coryell and the Beacons’ defense. Last season’s championship side surrendered just five goals in 10 Valley regular season matches and did not give up more than one goal in any conference fixture, while to date, this year’s squad has surrendered just two goals in four MVC fixtures. In fact, dating back to the start of the spring 2021 campaign, Valpo has surrendered one goal or fewer in 29 out of 30 MVC matches - the lone exception being the fall 2021 regular season finale at Loyola.
Strong Nonconference Record: The Beacons finished nonconference play with a 4-2-2 record. This year’s side is the first Valpo team to finish above .500 in nonconference action since the 2017 squad went 6-5-0 outside of Valley play. It is the program’s best nonconference record since going 4-1-4 in 2014.
That’s Four: Valpo is through four matches of the MVC schedule without suffering a defeat, sitting with a 1-0-3 record in Valley play. This is the fifth time in program history Valpo has been unbeaten through at least four league fixtures - the 2005 squad started Mid-Con play 4-0-0, the 2006 team finished with a 4-0-2 Mid-Con record, the 2014 side posted a perfect 8-0-0 record in Horizon League action and the 2021 team began Valley play 6-0-1.
The Unbeaten Streak: Combining the Beacons’ start to MVC play with the final weekend of nonconference action, they have not suffered a loss in their last six matches (2-0-4) - the last defeat came back on Sept. 3 at Purdue Fort Wayne. This is the ninth time in program history Valpo has posted an unbeaten streak of at least six consecutive matches, including one in each of the last three seasons.
Home Cooking: The Beacons come into Thursday night’s match with a 3-0-2 record on Brown Field this year, the fourth time in program history Valpo has opened a season unbeaten at home through at least five matches. The last time it happened was when the 2017 side started out the home slate 5-0-0, while the 2012 team posted a 4-0-1 record through its first five home matches and the 2005 squad won each of its first six home matches.
Fit to Be Tied: With the pair of draws last week against Missouri State and Murray State, the Beacons are up to five ties this season, already matching the program record for draws in a single campaign. The 2010, 2011 and spring 2021 seasons all featured five deadlocks as well.
Joiner Just Keeps Scoring: One season after pacing Valpo in the goal-scoring department, junior Addy Joiner has continued her prolificacy in 2023. She netted just the eighth hat trick in program history on August 31 against Chicago State, while most recently, she opened the scoring last time out against Murray State. Joiner has scored a team-high six goals this year, tied for top honors in the Valley, and has 16 career goals to rank eighth in program history.
Etch Her Name in the XI: With 12 starts this season under her belt - all of which she has played the full 90 minutes - fifth-year center back Nicole Norfolk - who assisted on Valpo’s goal last time out against Murray State - is up to 78 career appearances and 78 career starts in the Valpo uniform. The 78 starts are tied for third-most by a player in program history, while her 78 appearances are tied for fifth. Should she start both matches this week, Norfolk would move into solo second place in both categories. Dating back to the start of last season, when Norfolk has been on the field in MVC regular season action, Valpo has conceded just three goals in 904 minutes of play.
A Ray of Hope: Senior midfielder Chase Ray entered MVC play with 56 career appearances in the Brown and Gold, but with no collegiate goals to her credit. But Ray broke that duck in a big way, finding the back of the net in each of Valpo’s first two Valley matches. Her 37th-minute goal at Evansville equalized that contest and she followed by scoring just 72 seconds in for the eventual match-winner at Indiana State.
Don’t Blink: Fans barely had time to settle in their seats in Terre Haute before Ray struck for the match’s opening goal at the 1:12 mark, just missing cracking the program’s top-five fastest goals to start a match all-time. It was Valpo’s quickest opening goal since Rita Craven hit just 64 seconds in against Green Bay on Oct. 17, 2015. Then, last time out at home against Murray State, it was Addy Joiner knocking one home just 1:25 into the match against the Racers.
DuSatko Cracks a Top Ten: Senior Lindsey DuSatko has been a chance creating machine lately, with four assists to her credit now over the last eight matches. DuSatko is up to 10 assists for her career, moving her into a tie for sixth in program history for career helpers.
Three-Time Goalkeeper of the Year: Senior goalkeeper Nikki Coryell has quite simply been the Valley’s top goalkeeper throughout her career, as she has been honored as the MVC Goalkeeper of the Year in each of her three seasons. Last season, Coryell posted an 8-5-4 record with a 0.91 GAA and an .800 save percentage, posting seven clean sheets. Coryell and the Valpo defense surrendered just five goals in 10 MVC matches last season and posted five shutouts - matching the program record for the most clean sheets within conference play in a single season. In her three Goalkeeper of the Year campaigns, Coryell has posted a cumulative GAA of 0.59 and a save percentage of .878 in conference play. In 30 MVC fixtures, she holds a 17-4-9 record and has recorded 16 shutouts, giving up one goal or fewer in 29 of those 30 matches.
Running Up Top: Senior forward Lindsey DuSatko enters the 2023 campaign having earned All-Conference honors in each of the last two seasons, as she was a Second Team honoree in 2021 and a First Team choice last season. The pacey forward was tied for second among Valley players with four assists in MVC-only play in 2022, picking up a helper apiece in four of Valpo’s regular season conference wins, and scored a goal as well. DuSatko assisted on the match-winning goal in the Beacons’ win at Murray State and scored the game-tying goal in Valpo’s draw with Southern Illinois.
Locking Down the Back Line: Fifth-year center back Nicole Norfolk has been the linchpin in the Valpo defense ever since stepping onto campus prior to the 2019 season. The stalwart in the back was a First Team All-MVC honoree in 2022 after earning Second Team recognition the previous year. Valpo’s record holder for consecutive minutes played by a field player, Norfolk played all but 14 minutes of Valpo’s first 15 matches of the 2022 season before suffering an injury in mid-October. With Norfolk on the field during Valley regular season play, Valpo surrendered just one goal in 544 minutes of play. Norfolk added Third Team All-Midwest Region honors to her resume as well last season.
She Scores, We Win: Junior forward Addy Joiner was more than just a spark off the bench in 2022 - she was an assassin in front of goal. A First Team All-MVC honoree, Joiner finished the regular season with a Valley-high seven goals on the year and eventually concluded the season in second place with her seven tallies. The two-time MVC Offensive Player of the Week scored six of her seven goals in Valley play, one apiece in six of Valpo’s seven MVC victories. Her six goals in conference play were the most by a Valpo player in league action since Jackie Kondratko netted six goals in Horizon League matches in 2009.
Wait, There’s More!: The aforementioned four First Team All-MVC honorees from a season ago represent just over half of the total number of honorees from last season’s regular season champions. Fifth-year midfielder Allie Anderson picked up Second Team All-MVC recognition in 2022, while junior left back Abby White was a Third Team All-MVC choice. Sophomore Molly O’Rear rounds out last year’s award winners, as she claimed a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Even More on Last Year’s Awards: Valpo’s four First Team honorees in 2022 set a program record for postseason honors, as the program previously boasted three First Team All-League recipients on three occasions. The Beacons have had multiple First Team All-MVC honorees each of the last three seasons, and also have had at least one representative on the MVC All-Freshman Team in each of their six seasons in the conference.
