The Valparaiso men’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the season as they fell on the road to Big Ten opponent Northwestern, 1-0.

The Crusaders played their trademark shutdown defense for the first 50 minutes of the game before the Wildcats’ Cole Missimo sent one past sophomore goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College) off teammate Joey Calistri’s pass from six yards out in the 51^st minute.

The Brown and Gold pressured the Wildcats early in the game, with junior midfielder Jacob Gandarilla (Albuquerque, N.M./ Shattuck-St. Mary's) recording a shot on goal in the ninth minute and senior linemate Zev Taublieb (Malibu, Calif./Agoura) having a chance just ten minutes later.

After Northwestern scored, the Crusaders unleashed a fury of shots in their attempt to comeback, attacking the Wildcats with five shots in the second half. Freshman midfielder Ramone Howell (Portmore, Jamaica/Jamaica College) and junior Jordan Aidoud (Lyon, France/CEFAM) each had shots blocked by Wildcat defenders in the 55^th and 63^rd minute.

Nick Suker (Downers Grove, Ill./South) had a header stopped by goalkeeper Tyler Miller in the 66^th minute and sent one wide in the 82^nd minute. Valpo had corner kicks in the 87^th and 88^th minute that couldn’t find their way home.

Campbell finished with three saves in his first loss of the year.

The Crusaders (2-1-2) look to get back in the win column Friday night when they welcome Western Illinois to Brown Field for their home opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm and live stats will be available through ValpoAthletics.com

-Valpo Men’s Soccer-