Valparaiso (5-1-4, 2-0-0 Horizon)
Crusaders return from layoff with final non-league matchup of the year
Saturday, Oct. 4 – Loyola (4-8-0, 1-0-0 MVC) – Brown Field – 7 p.m.
This Week in Crusader Soccer: Following a week off to recuperate after starting out Horizon League play with a pair of victories, Valparaiso returns to the pitch for its final non-league match of the season Saturday evening as the Crusaders host Loyola at Brown Field. It will be Senior Night for the Crusaders, honoring the five seniors on this year’s team.
Previously: The Crusaders set a new program record for longest unbeaten streak, but more importantly, started out Horizon League play with a pair of victories last week. Valpo defeated Oakland in mid-week action at home by a 3-0 tally before heading to Cleveland State and coming away with a 1-0 win in extra time over the Vikings.
Following the Crusaders: Saturday night’s match will have a live audio broadcast on WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso). A link for the live audio, as well as live stats, will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. Over the course of the 2014 season, seven matches will have free live video on the Horizon League Network, including four matches at home, while WVUR, Valpo’s student radio station, will also be broadcasting select home matches.
Head Coach John Marovich: John Marovich holds a 57-43-24 record both overall and with Valpo in his seventh season at the helm of the Brown and Gold. Just the third head coach in program history, Marovich has the best winning percentage (.556) ever at Valpo, and ranks second in total victories.
Series Notes: This marks the Crusaders’ first meeting with the Ramblers since Loyola departed the Horizon League. Loyola holds a 15-5-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 5-1-1 mark in games between the two sides when both were Horizon League members. The most recent matchups came in a span of nine days in 2012, when the two squads battled to a scoreless draw in the regular season before the Ramblers earned a 1-0 win just over a week later in Horizon League Championship action.
Scouting the Opposition: Loyola enters Saturday night’s match at 4-8-0 on the season, most recently falling in extra time at UIC, 1-0. The Ramblers are 1-2-0 against Horizon League teams this season, beating Green Bay in overtime, 1-0, and losing to Milwaukee, 2-1. Valerie Gonyo and Avalon Senn-Raemont lead Loyola with four goals apiece, while Monica Gonyo has played all but 13 minutes in goal and has three clean sheets on the year.
Senior Night: Prior to Saturday’s game, the Crusaders will honor the five members of their senior class. Kelsey Draper, Abby Kenyon, Erika Schoemann and Kristen Warner all joined the team prior to the 2011 season and have helped Valpo to 31 victories over the last four seasons. Joining the quartet this season after transferring in was Kelsey’s twin sister, Kaylee Draper.
Strong Start to League Play: The wins over Oakland and Cleveland State last week left the Crusaders alone at the top of the Horizon League table with six points, just the second time since joining the league that Valpo has won each of its first two matches. The 2011 squad also started league play with two wins en route to a 4-2-2 mark in league action.
Unbeaten Streak: The win over Cleveland State set a new record for the longest undefeated streak in program history. With the victory over the Vikings, Valpo’s undefeated streak is now nine consecutive matches, as the Crusaders have not lost since the opening contest of the season. Over that stretch, the team owns a 5-0-4 record. The nine-match unbeaten streak broke the record held by the 2006 side, which had gone eight straight undefeated (all victories).
Craven Scores Pair: For the first time in her career, junior Rita Craven scored a goal that wasn’t the match-winner for the Crusaders – but only because she had already scored the eventual match-winner earlier in the contest. Against Oakland, Craven opened the scoring early on - her sixth career match-winning tally – and then added a penalty kick goal later in the game. It was the first multi-goal game of Craven’s career, and in fact the first by a Crusader since Jackie Kondratko tallied twice against Green Bay on Nov. 1, 2009.
Extra Time Winner: In contrast with Craven, sophomore Robin Wenzel scored her first career match-winner to give the Crusaders all three points in the win at Cleveland State. The winning goal came less than three minutes into overtime, Valpo’s first victory past the 90-minute mark this season. All four of the Crusaders’ previous overtime games this year had ended in draws.
Pair of Shutouts: Valpo added to its sterling defensive record this season with a pair of clean sheets against Oakland and Cleveland State last week, giving the Crusaders seven shutouts on the season. Center back Shelby Oelschlager was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week following the two shutouts. On the year, Valpo has surrendered just four goals through ten matches, and ranks sixth nationally in save percentage (.905) and eighth in GAA (0.37). Individually, goalkeeper Sydney Galvez-Daley ranks tenth in both save percentage (.902) and GAA.
Plenty of Chances: The Crusaders continued their run of dominating the shots category last week in the wins over the Golden Grizzlies and Vikings, combining to out-shoot their foes 31-17. The Crusaders have out-shot each of their ten opponents on the season and are currently averaging 17.8 shot attempts/game, an increase of nearly six shots per game over last season’s team.
Crusaders Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll: The head coaches selected Valparaiso to finish in fifth place in the Horizon League this season according to the preseason poll. Milwaukee was picked to capture the league title, with Oakland and Wright State right behind the Panthers.
Looking Back at 2013: Last season’s Crusader squad posted an 8-7-3 record, their ninth winning campaign in the last ten years. Included among the eight victories were a season-opening win over DePaul – the program’s first-ever win over a major conference program – and a victory over Northwestern – the Crusaders’ first against a Big Ten opponent. Valpo continued its tradition of being a strong defensive side, surrendering just 15 goals in the 18 games. Ten different players scored goals for the Crusaders, with 16 players in all tallying points.
Roster Breakdown: This year’s Crusader squad brings back 19 players from last season’s roster, 16 of which saw action last year and seven of whom were regular starters. In addition, six newcomers – two transfers and four freshmen – join the fray as well.