The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team faced another tough road challenge on Friday in Dallas, falling 6-0 at SMU. The Mustangs (5-0-0) entered the match ranked 22nd nationally by the United Soccer Coaches, 16th by Top Drawer Soccer and 18th by College Soccer News.
How It Happened
- Valpo created a chance to crack the scoreboard first in the seventh minute when Mason Marcey (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Christian [Radford]) delivered a pass to Adan Garcia (Dallas, Texas / Episcopal School of Dallas), whose shot was on goal but saved.
- Knut Ahlander scored the first SMU goal in the 10th minute from point blank on a feed into the box by Eddie Munjoma.
- Valpo had a chance on a counter in the 19th minute, but Shane Lanson picked up his second save of the night.
- The Mustangs quickly followed that with an impressive goal by Munjoma, then SMU scored twice more before halftime in the 34th and 42nd minutes. The third goal deflected off a Valpo player and floated into the net, while the fourth was a bicycle kick by Wyatt Priest.
- After halftime, SMU scored in the 54th minute and 83rd minutes to cap the scoring.
Inside the Game
- Valpo goalkeeper Jorn-Jan van de Beld (Balkbrug, The Netherlands / Unvirsity of Twente) recorded five saves. Van de Beld made his first start and second appearance of the season, becoming the third Valpo keeper to get a start in the first four matches.
- Mason Marcey (Charlotte, N.C. / Charlotte Christian [Radford]) struck two of Valpo’s eight shots. The team placed two shots on goal, both in the first half.
- Valpo continued its tradition of playing a challenging schedule that includes nationally-ranked opponents. Since the start of the 2013 season, Valpo has five wins and one draw against nationally-ranked sides.
- The match allowed Garcia, Chris Villalobos (Richardson, Texas / J.J. Pearce) and Dylan Waugaman (Houston, Texas / Friendswood [Oregon State]) to compete in their home state.
Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Avery
“We looked a bit like we spent two full days on the bus before playing an undefeated, legitimate Top 25 team on the road. No hiding from it, SMU was very good tonight and after a 15-minute spell to start the game where we created some interesting chances, we collapsed. To be fair to them, SMU had some incredible finishes, but as I explained to the team just now, luck always finds the confident player who dares to try something special. We are a young team and our confidence is lacking right now, but I’m convinced we will grow up. It’s early, we’ve already been in some challenging environments and this trip is a monster. It’ll help us in the end, so we have no other choice but to just keep playing. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait too long.”
Up Next
Valpo (1-2-1) will continue the lengthy road trip on Sunday night with a visit to Tulsa, Okla. to take on Oral Roberts. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. with a free video stream available on Stretch Internet courtesy of Oral Roberts. Links to live video and stats are available.
