Valparaiso (4-3-2, 0-0 Horizon)
Match #10: Friday, Sept. 24, 6 p.m. CDT
at Indiana State (6-3, 0-0 MVC)
Memorial Stadium - Terre Haute, Ind.
Match #11: Sunday, Sept. 26, 11 a.m. CDT
at Detroit (3-3-3, 0-0 Horizon)
Titan Field - Detroit, Mich.

This Week in Crusader Soccer: Valparaiso wraps up its four-game road trip this weekend, beginning Friday evening at Indiana State in the final non-conference match of the season.  The Crusaders then head to Detroit to begin the eight-match Horizon League slate on Sunday.  Valpo is looking to rebound from back-to-back losses for the first time this season.

On the Air: Neither of this weekend’s matches will be broadcast live over the air or online.  Live stats will be available through www.valpoathletics.com for both matches though.

Head Coach John Marovich: John Marovich holds a 25-18-6 record both overall and with Valpo in his third season at the helm of the Brown and Gold.  Just the third head coach in program history, Marovich has the best winning percentage (.571) ever at Valpo, and ranks second in total victories.

Series Notes: The Crusaders and Indiana State are meeting for the 11th time in a series that dates back to 2000.  Valpo holds the all-time edge 7-2-1 and are unbeaten in the last six meetings between the two schools.  The Crusaders had won five straight matches against the Sycamores before battling to a 3-3 draw at Eastgate Field last season.  Detroit holds a 4-2 advantage in the series with the Crusaders dating back to 1993.  Valpo won last year’s meeting 3-2 in overtime at Eastgate Field.

Wrapping Up Last Week’s Action: Valpo surrendered one goal in each half as the Crusaders fell 2-0 at Vanderbilt on Friday night.  Kristen Manski made four saves in goal for Valpo while Janine Lytle had three of the team’s six shots.  On Sunday, Andy Quiceno scored the lone goal of the match 4:45 after halftime as Austin Peay defeated Valpo 1-0.  Manski had four saves and Lytle had two of the team’s five shots.

Scouting Indiana State: The Sycamores had their six-match win streak snapped on Sunday with a 3-2 setback at Bowling Green.  Alison Gasparovich leads the team with five goals and three assists for 13 points while Ashley Collins has scored three times.  Emily Lahay has a 0.79 goals against average in goal with a .708 save percentage.

Scouting Detroit: The Titans had tied two straight matches before suffering a 2-1 defeat against Eastern Kentucky last Sunday and are idle this week until the Horizon League opener against Valpo.  Abby McCollum leads Detroit with 11 points on four goals and three assists while Sarah Dzuris has seven points.  Nora Abolins has a 1.20 goals against average and a .792 save percentage.

Horizon League Openers: Valpo is looking to win its Horizon League opener for the first time since joining the conference prior to the 2007 season.  The Crusaders fell to Butler 2-0 in each of the first two years in the league before losing at Wright State 3-0 last season. 

Lytle Provides Some Offense: Janine Lytle provided a majority of Valpo’s scoring opportunities last weekend, firing off five of the team’s 11 shot attempts.  The sophomore had three of the team’s five shots on goal, including the only two on frame against Austin Peay on Sunday.

Road Warriors: Valpo is finishing a four-match road trip on Sunday but will only come home for one match before returning to the road for three more contests.  Seven out of eight road matches is the longest such stretch since Valpo played seven consecutive road contests during the 1994 season.

Nearing the All-Time Charts: Luisa Desario enters the weekend with nine career goals, just two shy of moving into the top-10 all-time at Valpo.  Rachel Hoaglin is one tally behind Desario with eight goals as both players move through their sophomore seasons.  Desario is also tied for ninth all-time with four career match-winning goals.  Her 23 career points also rank just three points outside of the top-10 in the all-time charts.

Pencil Them in the Lineup: Junior Tracy Roos has started all 49 matches during her career at Valpo.  Sarah Melhorn also has an impressive streak of her own, having started the last 47 straight matches dating back to the 2008 campaign.

And When They Start They Finish: In addition to starting every match this season, Tracy Roos and Sarah Melhorn have also stayed on the field for all 863 minutes this season.  Goalkeeper Kristen Manski has joined them in playing every minute.

An Offensive Explosion: Valparaiso’s explosion of four goals on at IPFW on Sept. 3 turned out to be the most goals scored by the Brown and Gold in a match since the Crusaders scored four on Sept. 7, 2007, also against IPFW.  Valpo has not scored five times in a contest since a 5-1 win against Lewis on Oct. 8, 2006.

Looking to Continue the Winning Tradition: Valparaiso enters the 2010 season having posted six consecutive winning seasons following last year’s 11-9-1 record overall.  Last year also marked the sixth 10-win season in program laurels, all of which have come during the last six years.

On the Shutout Charts: Freshman netminder Kristen Manski has already registered three shutouts this year, and is tied for eighth on the single season charts.  In fact, her two clean sheets also rank her in a tie for fifth place on the career lists.

She Shoots, She Scores: Luisa Desario is second in the Horizon League with 31 shot attempts already this season.  The sophomore now has fired off 92 total shots since arriving on campus last season, and ranks tied for eighth on the career charts at Valpo with Erin Crowgey (1997-2000).  Desario trails Allison Swanson (2002-2005) by 11 shot attempts for seventh on the career list.  She had nine shots at Evansville on Aug. 29, still a season high this year for any Horizon League player.

Crusaders Picked Third in Preseason Poll: The head coaches selected Valparaiso to finish third in the Horizon League this season according to the preseason poll.  The Crusaders finished third in the regular season a year ago before advancing to the tournament championship match.

This and That: After Friday’s match, Valpo will have completed the entire non-conference slate for 2010 ... four of Catherine Terrell’s six shot attempts this year have been on goal, with two going in the net ... every field player has now played this season for Valpo after Katie Gratzianna saw action at Vanderbilt.