The Valpo soccer team put together a dominant overall team performance Sunday afternoon at Brown Field, rolling to a 3-0 victory over visiting St. Bonaventure. Freshman Addy Joiner (Chesterton, Ind./Chesterton) made her first collegiate goal the match-winning tally as she found the back of the net in the 13^th minute.

How It Happened

• It was a touch of a nervy start for Valpo Sunday, as the Beacons surrendered a shot attempt at the edge of the box to SBU’s Cristina Torres 15 seconds in which slid by the right post. But after that, the Bonnies wouldn’t have another shot attempt for over 26 minutes.
• Meanwhile, Valpo was out on the front foot and scored in the 13^th minute on its fourth shot attempt of the game. Junior Allie Anderson (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South [Xavier]) lined up a free kick to the right of the box, about 15 yards out, and sent a chip towards the near-post run of Joiner. The rookie got her head on the ball at the edge of the six and powered a header into the turf which bounced up and inside the right post, out of the reach of SBU goalkeeper Chiara Gottinger, to give Valpo the 1-0 lead.
• Valpo continued to dominate the first half, at one point forcing Gottinger to make four straight saves in a span of just over three minutes. On the other end, outside of a 28^th-minute shot which hit the outside of the post, the Bonnies didn’t threaten for the equalizer as the match eventually went into halftime with the 1-0 scoreline.
• It took the Beacons less than eight minutes into the second half to double their advantage. After Valpo won the ball in the midfield, it was knocked down the left side to sophomore Kelsie James (Carmel, Ind./Carmel). James expertly touched the ball around her defender and rounded her to continue her run to goal. The sophomore completed the run to the edge of the six, drawing two defenders and the goalkeeper to her in the process, and then centered to a cutting Lindsey DuSatko (Plainfield, Ill./North) for an easy uncontested left-footed touch for the goal.
• Valpo rounded out the scoring in the 71^st Anderson sent a long ball into the attacking third, where junior Kiley Dugan (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) won possession against an SBU defender. Dugan ran down the right and then centered the ball when she hit the top of the box, her pass finding James in space between defenders. James calmly took an one-timed effort with her left foot from 12 yards out which found the back of the net inside the far post to complete the 3-0 victory.

Inside the Match

• Junior back Nicole Norfolk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) earned the first rest of her collegiate career late on Sunday, as head coach John Marovich took her off the park with the three-goal edge in the 83^rd With that, Norfolk’s program-record consecutive minutes played by a field player streak — which dated to her first match as a freshman — came to an end at 3,591 straight minutes.
• Joiner’s match-winning goal was the first of her Valpo career. The Chesterton product is the third Beacon to score her first collegiate goal this season.
• DuSatko netted her first goal of the season as well, giving her four career tallies.
• Meanwhile, James’ insurance marker was her fourth of the season in six games and gave her seven career goals. She has now scored six goals in eight career matches against non-MVC opponents.
• James’ goal completed a three-point match for the sophomore, as she tallied the assist on DuSatko’s goal — her second of the season and fourth of her career.
• Anderson picked up her first points in a Valpo uniform with her assists on the first and third goals of the contest. She entered Sunday with just one assist over two-plus collegiate seasons.
• Valpo found the back of the net three times for the first time since a 3-0 win over UNI in the 2019 regular season finale.
• Valpo out-shot St. Bonaventure 23-5 and put 14 of its efforts on goal to SBU’s three. Sophomore Nikki Coryell (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) made two saves in goal, while junior Georgia Henkel (Houston, Texas/Stratford) made her first appearance of the regular season, stopping one shot over the final 17-plus minutes of action.
• 24 players saw the pitch for Valpo on Sunday afternoon, including a trio who saw their first collegiate action — Jensen Summers (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville), Lauren Cook (Littleton, Colo./D’Evelyn) and Cara Crompton (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville).

Thoughts From Coach Marovich

“I’m really pleased with how our team rebounded today. I think today shows what we were thinking Friday as well, that we want to put forth performances which show we’re progressing as a team. The difference maybe today is that we got that early goal — I’m super happy for Addy: a local kid, gets her first collegiate goal in her first start.”

“Overall, we were fantastic in possession and how we wanted to progress the ball. That created the sense of being on front foot, as we possessed a lot in our attacking half.”

“So many compliments could be paid across the entire team today. We had a hard game Friday, and to be able to start a different lineup today and maintain our performance shows the depth of our team. We rotate in five players to the lineup and that group impressed immediately with a great stretch of play, and then we bring Lindsey and Kelsie off the bench for our attack and they make their impact there. It shows me that the culture and environment of the team is in a good place and that everybody is about doing what's best for the team.”

Next Up

Valpo (2-3-1) concludes a three-match homestand at Brown Field Friday evening against Western Illinois. The match against the Leathernecks will be broadcast live on The Valley on ESPN with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.