Despite being sent down to 10 men less than 15 minutes into the second half, the Valparaiso University men’s soccer team held strong on the road Monday evening at SIU Edwardsville, battling the Cougars to a scoreless, double-overtime draw.

How It Happened

• On a hot, humid night in Edwardsville, Ill., the Crusaders out-shot SIUE in the first half, 6-2, but each side could only put one shot on frame.
• The game threatened to turn in the 60th minute, when a red card against Valpo sent the Crusaders down to 10 men for the remainder of the match.
• Despite being down a player for the final 30 minutes of regulation and the entirety of the 20 minutes of extra time, Valpo kept the match on a level playing field. The Crusaders actually out-shot the Cougars, 7-6, over the duration of playing down a man.

Inside the Game

• Senior Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College) earned the shutout in goal for the Crusaders, making three saves. The clean sheet was the 16th of Campbell’s career, leaving him just one shy of Ryan Schwarz for second-most in program history.
• Valpo ended the match with a 14-9 edge in shots over SIUE, with both sides placing three on frame. The Cougars held a slight 7-5 edge in corner kicks over the 110 minutes of action.
• Each of the Crusaders’ first two matches this season have advanced into extra time – this following a 2015 season where Valpo saw a program-record 10 matches go beyond the 90-minute mark.

Thoughts From Head Coach Mike Avery

“For the first hour, it was a tremendous game. SIUE is a good team that plays attractively and intelligently, and they are very well coached by Mario Sanchez and his staff. For long stretches, we had the better of them, which says a lot about our performance given their quality. After the red card, our tactics had to change a bit, but I was still very pleased with our ability to generate chances without completely opening ourselves up.”

“It's been a very hot and humid weekend, which takes its toll physically and mentally, so our ability to battle for 50 minutes a man down is commendable. We now will get up early tomorrow to head home, then get back to work as we prepare for Sunday's home opener.”

Next Up

The Crusaders (0-1-1) open their home slate on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 4, as they welcome Western Illinois to Brown Field for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. The match is the first this season at home where Valpo will recognize members of its senior class, as Isaiah Madrid and Deven Mason will be the day’s Seniors in the Spotlight.