Extra time in Terre Haute. Last spring, it was the MVC Tournament semifinal match. Today, it was a regular season matchup. In any case, the result was the same — a golden goal from sophomore Lindsey DuSatko (Plainfield, Ill./North) to give the Valpo soccer team a victory at Indiana State. Friday’s match-winner gave the Beacons all six points from their first two MVC matches of the season.

How It Happened

• The teams entered halftime scoreless, as scoring chances were tough to come by in the opening 45 minutes. Junior Natalie Graf (Williamsburg, Mich./St. Francis) and DuSatko had solid chances in the first three-quarters of an hour, but ISU goalkeeper Maddie Alexander made three first-half saves to keep the Beacons off the board.
• Valpo goalkeeper Nikki Coryell (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) wasn’t tested much on Friday, but handled the Sycamores’ chances with no issue. Perhaps ISU’s best opportunity came in the 71^st minute on a shot from the top of the box from Celeste Wahlberg, an effort Coryell jumped to push over the crossbar.
• Neither side found the back of the net in regulation as the match went into extra time.
• The first chance either team had in the first extra period proved to be the match-winner. Junior Nicole Norfolk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) stepped up from her center back position in the 95^th minute to win a ball in the midfield. Norfolk fed the ball out wide to freshman Dana Fish (Sheboygan, Wis./Sheboygan North), who took a couple dribbles on the left before sending a low, driven cross into the box. On the other end was DuSatko, cutting in from the right to one-time it home inside the near post to set off the Valpo celebration.

Inside the Match

• Valpo has claimed all six points from its first two conference matches for the first time since going a perfect 8-0-0 in the 2014 Horizon League campaign.
• Included in that stretch is also the last time Valpo won consecutive fixtures by a 1-0 final, as it did so against Milwaukee and Detroit in October of that season.
• The Beacons have won each of their last three matches, all by shutout. Valpo last posted three consecutive clean sheets in April of this year, when it registered shutouts in the regular season finale and its first two MVC Tournament contests.
• The last time Valpo recorded clean sheets in three straight victories was back in September 2012.
• Valpo is now a perfect 3-0-0 against Indiana State this calendar year, having beaten the Sycamores 2-0 in the regular season and 1-0 in the MVC Tournament in the spring.
• DuSatko’s goal was her second of the season. She has now scored three goals in three career matches against Indiana State, the last two of which have been match-winners.
• Fish and Norfolk both picked up their respective first career assists on the golden goal. Fish now has five points over the last three matches.
• Coryell had to make a pair of saves to preserve the shutout, her second straight clean sheet.

Thoughts From Coach Marovich

“Tonight was a great road win in the Valley — anytime you can get points on the road, especially all three, it’s fantastic.”

“What I liked about our group tonight is how we figured out how to deal with a mid-block. We struggled sorting through that early on — we didn't play quite fast enough, we didn’t create the rhythm we wanted. But as the game moved along, we found more and more of the gap spaces and got the ball into the creative gaps how we like to. It took a while to get the ball into the back of the net, but I believe our players’ commitment to creating that rhythm, to break the lines, to get the ball into the creative gaps ultimately got us that goal.”

“On our goal, what a big play by Nicole. She stepped to the ball, read the game excellently, took it and cut back inside at the defender to create a 2-v-1 to get the ball to Dana. Then Dana, with her left foot, drives a ball across the box and Lindsey puts it away. It was exactly how we talked about how we would score tonight in those moments, and the play from Nicole, taking the ball centrally, made that play happen.”

“Everyone contributed to creating a different rhythm to the game after halftime, and that is what we needed to get a result here on the road tonight. It was a fantastic job by our entire group, and I continue to love how we grow and how we develop in how we want to play.”

Next Up

Valpo (5-4-1, 2-0-0 MVC) will take aim at a third straight victory to open the MVC slate on Wednesday evening at Brown Field when it hosts Southern Illinois. Kickoff against the Salukis is slated for 7:30 p.m., and all the action can be seen live on The Valley on ESPN.