The Valpo soccer team posted its fourth clean sheet in five conference matches on Thursday evening as the Beacons played to a 0-0 draw at Illinois State in Normal, Ill.

How It Happened

• Valpo had a strong chance in the opening minutes of the match, as Lindsey DuSatko (Plainfield, Ill./North) found herself one-on-one with Illinois State goalkeeper Daniela Grgas in the box. But DuSatko’s effort was just wide of the far post.
• That was a harbinger of the rest of the first half, as it was the Beacons constantly knocking on the door. Valpo held the Redbirds without a shot attempt in the opening 45 minutes, but when the clock hit the stroke of halftime, the match was still scoreless.
• The second half was more of the same, with Nikki Coryell (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) saving Illinois State’s lone shot on target in the 53^rd
• Kelsie James (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) got in behind for a good chance in the 79^th minute which Grgas saved, while a deflection of a clearance attempt led to Molly O’Rear (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) getting into the box with an opportunity inside of two minutes remaining. The Beacons were unable to find the back of the net, however.

Inside the Match

• The clean sheet was Valpo’s fourth in five MVC matches to date. This one was perhaps the most dominant effort by the Beacons’ defense, though, as Valpo limited ISU to just two shot attempts, one of which was on goal.
• Meanwhile, Valpo tallied 12 shot attempts on Thursday night, six of which were on goal. The Beacons also attempted eight corner kicks to the Redbirds’ three.
• Coryell earned her sixth shutout of the season in goal for Valpo, already tied for eighth-most in a single season in program history. With 18 career clean sheets, Coryell is tied for 12^th in MVC history and just one shutout away from cracking the top-10.

Thoughts From Coach Marovich

“I’m proud of the team for coming out and giving ourselves chances and opportunities tonight. While we fell short in the battle as far as scoring, we still come away with a point on the road and have four points through three road matches — in a conference like the Valley, every match is critical and when you’re on the road, you try to go and steal as many points as you can.”

“We have to continue to accumulate as many points as we can, and that continues Sunday at home — we need to come out, keep playing our style and defend our home field. Right now, it’s crunch time as the conference standings start to shake out, and it’s crucial we fight to take full advantage of our home matches.”

Next Up

Valpo (4-6-3, 3-1-1 MVC) returns home to Brown Field on Sunday as the Beacons host Evansville at 1 p.m. on ESPN3. It will be the program’s Campus Community Match, as team members will recognize faculty and staff members who have made a notable impact on their time at Valpo.