Valpo women top St. Joseph's, men edge Indianapolis

Stories courtesy Valpo Sports Information

August 16, 2008

Women's soccer
Late Goals Lift Valpo to Win in Exhibition Play
Valparaiso, IN - Three goals in a span of less than three minutes late in the match pushed Valparaiso past Saint Joseph's (Ind.) 4-2 on Saturday evening in exhibition soccer action at Eastgate Field.
"This match served its purpose," Crusader head coach John Marovich said. "We have to find our best system, especially after losing five starters from last season."
Valparaiso controlled the action for a majority of the match, but found itself trailing 2-1 with 15 minutes to play. Sarah Jewell (Kansas City, Mo./Park Hill H.S.) tied the contest with a header in the box from Jessie White (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) with 13:22 to remaining. Courtney Gwinn (Evansville, Ind./Harrison H.S.) then put the Crusaders on top at the 11:41 mark scoring from 15 yards out after receiving a feed from White.
Kendall Brown (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic H.S.) added an insurance tally for Valpo with 10:30 to play scoring on a penalty kick.
Valpo jumped in front 1-0 just 5:40 into the match when Sarah Melhorn (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake H.S.) dribbled through several defenders into the box and scored to the far post.
The Pumas tied the match less than six minutes later on a Jenny Merkel goal and took the lead a minute later as Ashley VanSlooten won the ball on the endline and scored inside the box.
Valpo controlled the pace throughout, outshooting Saint Joseph's 22-2 for the match, but Puma goalkeeper Sarah Croskrey made eight stops to keep the match tight.
"Our attack was not there early but we had possession throughout," added Marovich. "We had more purpose with our attack in the second half and were able to find the back of the net."
The Crusaders had 11 corner kick opportunities in the match as well, but could not tie the contest until the final 15 minutes.
Valparaiso will open the regular season on Friday afternoon at Eastgate Field as the Crusaders host Ball State. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m.
Men's soccer
Crusaders Earn 1-0 Victory in Exhibition Opener
Valparaiso, IN - Playing with just three days of preseason training under its belt, the Valparaiso men's soccer team opened exhibition play Saturday at Eastgate Field with a solid 1-0 victory over Indianapolis on a goal in the 98th minute by Steve Shively (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central).
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"I thought this was a very good day for us, given we've only had a couple days to work together as a group," said Crusader head coach Mike Avery. "There were some very good things that came out of today, but also some things we saw that we need to work on, making this game just like any other good training session."
While the Crusaders controlled the pace of play throughout much of regulation time, neither team could find the back of the net. Valpo out-shot Indianapolis 17-7 in the first 90 minutes, including a 9-2 edge in shots on goal. Reigning Horizon League Goalkeeper of the Year Ryan Schwarz (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) had to make just one save in his 63 minutes of action, while Indianapolis starting keeper Michael Crane stopped five shots in just under 67 minutes in net.
The two teams had agreed prior to the game to play a 20-minute overtime period regardless of the score after regulation, but the extra time proved necessary when the two teams ended 90 minutes without a goal. Nearing the midway point of the extra session, the Crusaders gained possession in their end and Shively came up with the ball just outside the 18-yard box. After losing control for a second, the junior regained the ball, turned, and fired a right-footed blast to the upper-right corner past Greyhound netminder Justin Roberts for the game's only tally.
Kyle Zobeck (Coralville, Iowa/Iowa City West) earned the victory in net for the Crusaders, playing the final 47 minutes and making one save. Roberts took the loss for Indianapolis, but stopped five shots in just over 43 minutes in net. Valpo had 12 different players fire shots and ended the game with 20 total shots, 11 of which were on goal.
"I thought Indianapolis played well today," said Avery. "We really did a good job controlling them and limiting their opportunities. It's very clear after today that we have plenty of depth, which as coaches is a good problem to have."
Valparaiso continues exhibition action Wednesday, as the Crusaders head east to take on St. Francis (Pa.) in Loretto, Pa. Kickoff is slated for 12 noon.