A solid performance by a freshman in goal helped the Valparaiso University men’s soccer team start the season with a draw on Friday night. Valpo rookie Edvin Holst (Stockholm, Sweden / Viktor Rydberg Gymnasium Jaraplan) racked up eight saves in his collegiate debut, while Mason Marcey (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Christian [Radford]) provided the Valpo goal in a 1-1 stalemate at Green Bay.

How It Happened

• The first shot on goal of the night came courtesy of Marcey in the 13^th minute. Holst was tested for the first time in the fixture in the 16^th minute, when he recorded consecutive saves.
• Marcey struck for the first goal of the season late in the first half. He scored on a giveaway during a Green Bay pass back and fired his shot into the right side of the net in the 43^rd minute.
• Valpo got the better of play in the opening half, outshooting the Phoenix 8-4. Marcey fired off half of the team’s shots over the first 45 minutes with four.
• Holst collected his fourth save of the match early in the second half, turning away a chance by Green Bay’s Clay Brown in the 48^th minute.
• Neither team produced another shot on goal until the 75^th minute, when Holst notched another save by thwarting an Assibey Rhule effort. That was followed by Phoenix shots on goal in the 79^th and 81^st minutes, but Holst continued to rack up saves.
• Cole Rainwater (Schererville, Ind. / Lake Central) had Valpo’s first shot on goal of the second half in the 87^th minute, forcing Green Bay keeper Jamison Yoder into a save.
• Andre Baires took advantage of a free kick from 20 yards out at the 88:57 mark, finishing right past the keeper to tie the game at one. Valpo created one more chance by the end of regulation, but a shot by freshman Vukasin Bulatovic (Elmwood Park, Ill. / Elmwood Park) was saved in the 90^th minute, sending the game to overtime.
• Holst collected another save in the 96^th minute, then Chavez Brooks (Kingston, Jamacia / Wolmer’s Boys School) created a shot on goal in the 110^th minute that was saved by Yoder to cement the deadlock.

Inside the Game

• Holst finished the night with eight saves, the most by a Valpo goalkeeper in his first career start since Marc Cilfone had 10 at Bradley in 2001. Nacho Miras had seven in his first career start in 2017 against Northwestern.
• Holst also tied for the most saves by any Valpo goalkeeper since Nico Campbell had nine on Sept. 9, 2014 at Butler.
• Marcey’s goal was his first of the season and the second of his Valpo career. He played in six games last season and registered one goal, which lifted the team to a 1-0 victory over Drake on Nov. 3.
• Valpo went to overtime in the season opener for the fourth year in a row and the seventh time in the last eight years. This marked the fourth time in that span and the first since 2014 that the team started the season with a draw.
• This was Valpo’s first game against Green Bay since the two programs shared Horizon League affiliation from 2007-2016.
• Three freshmen cracked Valpo’s starting 11 as Holst, Andy Lomeli (Dyer, Ind. / Lake Central) and Jack Eaton (Valparaiso, Ind. / Chesterton) all took the pitch to begin the fixture. Freshmen Bulatovic and Rainwater also made their collegiate debuts in the match, as did transfer Lucas Oliveira (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Northeast Oklahoma A&M).  
• The shot count in the game was fairly even, with Green Bay owning a narrow 18-15 edge. Valpo placed five shots on goal.

Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Avery

“When you carry a lead for so long and are just a minute from winning a very difficult game on the road, a tie can sting a little bit, but I’m pretty sure over the course of the season this will prove to be a good result. Green Bay is a very good team with a lot of returning players. They’ll definitely have a say in who wins the Horizon League.”

“I think we showed tonight that we can be a pretty good team as well. There were long stretches, especially in the first half, where we had control of the game, and the goal we scored was well taken and came during that stretch. I am proud of the group. We are young and need some experience, so games like tonight will really help us as we move forward. We are looking forward to another chance to improve on Monday night.”

Up Next

Valpo (0-0-1) will open the home portion of the regular season on Monday at 7 p.m. at Brown Field as IU Northwest comes to town. The match will be carried on ESPN+.