Junior midfielder Adrian Ortiz (Berwyn, Ill./Morton
West) made the first two goals of his collegiate career count in a big way on
Saturday afternoon, bringing Valparaiso back from a one-goal deficit in the
second half as the Crusaders earned a 2-1 victory over Cleveland State at Brown
Field. With the win, the Crusaders
finish the Horizon League campaign tied for third and will host a HL
Championship quarterfinal matchup at Brown Field on Tuesday as the third seed.
“Obviously I am very
pleased with our result today against a good Cleveland State
team,” said Crusader head coach Mike
Avery. “I thought we played well, and I thought we made good
decisions about when to play and build our possession or when to take a more
direct route. We did both effectively, and ultimately I felt that the win
was one that was well earned. Adrian was outstanding
today. His goals were timely and well taken, but even beyond the scoring
I thought he controlled the midfield today in both the attack and in defense.”
The victory gives Valpo
its ninth victory of the 2009 campaign, matching the most wins in a single
season in Crusader history (1987). The
Crusaders also clinched their second season above .500 in program history,
while their tie for third place in the league standings is Valpo’s highest
league finish since placing third in the Mid-Continent Conference in 2002.
The first half of action
Saturday was relatively calm, as while the two sides registered 14 total shot
attempts in the opening 45 minutes, only two of those tries ended up on
frame. The action picked up in the second
half, however, as ten of the teams’ combined 15 shots went on goal. Both Crusader netminder Ryan Schwarz (Rockford,
Ill./Boylan Catholic) and Viking
goalkeeper Brad Stuver made saves early in the second stanza to keep the game
scoreless.
Cleveland State would break through first in the 53rd
minute of action. Admir Suljevic had
possession deep in the Viking offensive end near the right corner and found
Anthony Baraldi on a run heading into the box.
Baraldi gained possession and let a shot go from about ten yards out
that found its way inside the far post to give CSU a 1-0 lead. The goal broke Schwarz’s scoreless streak in
net at 351:50.
The Vikings had a prime
opportunity in the 59th minute to extend their advantage to two
goals, as Slavisa Ubiparipovic had a shot after Schwarz was drawn out of
position. But while Ubiparipovic placed
his shot on frame, Crusader defender Rodolfo
Lucas (Mogi Mirim, Brazil/ [Coffeyville C.C.]) was in perfect position on
the back line to clear the attempt and keep it a one-goal game.
Valpo eventually made its
first dent on the scoreboard in the 66th minute. Lucas played a long ball about 40 yards down
the center of the field to just outside the penalty area, where Kevin Miller (Jefferson City, Mo./Helias)
used his chest to re-direct the ball ahead and to the left. The re-direction found its way right to the
foot of Ortiz, who beat Harpel from eight yards out to knot up the game.
Less than five minutes
later, it was again Ortiz giving the Crusaders the match-winner. Roby
Del Giudice (Toronto, Ont./Robert F. Hall
[Wallace State C.C.]) had the ball just outside the area on the right side, and
when he was double-teamed, flicked a perfect touch to Clayton Lyons (Louisville,
Ky./Trinity) down in the
corner. Lyons sent a cross all the way across the
box, where Ortiz gathered it in and found the far post for his second goal of
the game.
Valparaiso ended the contest with an 18-11 advantage in shot
attempts over Cleveland
State (7-7-4, 4-2-2
Horizon), and placed eight shots on goal to the Vikings’ five. Schwarz made four saves in net in the winning
effort, while Harpel made six stops.
The Crusaders celebrated
their Senior Day Saturday afternoon in their final regular season home
game. Valpo honored four seniors on
Saturday: J.J. Del Castillo (Queretaro, Mexico/Seaholm
[Gardner-Webb]), Danny Jeftich (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso [IUPUI]), Lucas and Steve Shively (Indianapolis,
Ind./North Central).
“Though there was lot at
stake today in terms of playoff implications, today was ultimately about our
seniors,” said Avery. “Each of the four have been tremendous
representatives of our program, and they have led us through some tough times
to one of the greatest season in the program's history. I am proud of
them, and am thankful for all that they have done for our program. We're
now hopeful we can keep the season alive for a good while longer.”
Valparaiso (9-6-2, 4-2-2) will enter the Horizon League
Championship on a five-game unbeaten streak.
The third-seeded Crusaders will officially find out their first-round
opponent and game time Tuesday at Brown Field when the league releases its
bracket later this weekend following the completion of regular season action.
“We compensated with
the absence of Steve today with a "striker by committee" that was led
by Zack Stivers, and I thought all
the guys battled hard and created some very good chances in both halves of the
game,” said Avery. “We are excited to
host a Horizon League tournament game and know that we will have our work cut
out for us against a talented Milwaukee
team. Our game a few weeks ago could have really gone either way, and we
know that they present us with a tough challenge.”