The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team faced the first-place squad in the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday night. The Crusaders (4-5-1, 2-2 MVC) traveled to Missouri State, and the Bears prevailed 1-0.

How It Happened

• In the 23^rd minute, Missouri State (6-2-1, 3-0 MVC) landed on the board on a penalty kick by Josh Dolling. A low bouncing ball hit the back, lower-left corner of the net, allowing Dolling to notch his first career goal.
• Sophomore Chris Villalobos (Richardson, Texas / J.J. Pearce) kept the scoring at bay for Missouri State when he saved a goal at the doorstep of the net during the 28^th minute. A high-shot header soared passed the keeper and Villalobos used his head to clear the ball before it crossed the line.
• A late shot attempt by Villalobos went high of the goal in the 87^th minute.
• Freshman Jonas Engler (Illingen, Germany / Georg Kerschensteiner Scule) laced one wide of the goal in the 88^th, nearly tying up the match.
• Missouri State’s keeper Liam Priestley earned his sixth shutout of the season and now has 32 saves.

Inside the Match

• Valpo’s first meeting against Missouri State since 2008, first as a conference foe since 1989.
• Junior Rafael Mentzingen (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Bryan) lead the squad in shots, increasing his total to 32.
• Sophomore Nacho Miras (Ubeda, Spain / Nuestra Semora del Pilar) added one save to his season total, which is now at 36. He sits in third place in the MVC in saves.
• The Bears outshot the Crusaders 6-3 in the first half, but the Brown and Gold had a 5-0 advantage in the second.
• Every match this season has been decided by one goal.

Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Avery  

“Road games are always hard, and we’ve been eight out of 10 on the road so far this season. The hardest part is typically in generating energy, especially relative to the home team. They started much better than we did, and deservedly led at the half.

We made a few good adjustments in the second half and started to put them under real pressure. Unfortunately for us, we ran out of time before we found the equalizer, but we had enough chances to think we could have come away with a bit more by the time it was all said and done.

MSU is a good team, and we are looking forward to seeing them again in about a month at our place.”

Up Next

Valpo steps away from MVC action and travels to Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Oct. 3, ending a three-match road stretch. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT in DeKalb, Ill. Links to live video and stats will be available on ValpoAthletics.com.