Complete PDF Game Notes

Match #8: Friday Sept. 21, 9 p.m. CDT

Valpo (5-2, 0-0 Horizon)

at Pacific (3-2-1, 0-0 Big West)

Match #9: Sunday Sept. 23, 2 p.m. CDT

Valpo (5-2, 0-0 Horizon)

at Saint Mary’s (Calif.) (2-2-2, 0-0 WCC)

This Week in Crusader Soccer: Winners of four of their last five matches, the Valparaiso Crusaders head to northern California this weekend for a pair of non-conference contests. Valpo will battle Pacific on Friday evening and Saint Mary’s (Calif.) on Sunday afternoon before returning to Eastgate Field next weekend to begin a stretch of five home matches in six contests.

On the Air: Both Friday’s and Sunday’s matches against Pacific and Saint Mary’s (Calif.) will be carried live by WVUR (95.1-FM, Valparaiso) and online at www.valpo.edu/athletics. Students will be providing both the play-by-play and color commentary.

Series Notes: Pacific has won the only meeting ever played between the Tigers and Crusaders, posting a 5-0 victory on September 8, 2002 at the Cal Poly Tournament in San Luis Obispo, Calif. Valpo has never faced the Gaels of Saint Mary’s.

Scouting Pacific: The Tigers dropped two straight matches last weekend after opening the season unbeaten in four contests. Mandi Van Dorn leads the Pacific attack with three goals and two assists while Bunny Dickson has added five points. Jamie Souza has played every minute in goal, posting a 0.64 goals against average and an .867 save mark.

Scouting Saint Mary’s: The Gaels have played lots of extra soccer thus far this year, having four of six matches go to overtime. Allie Weiner has 11 points, on four goals and three assists, while Alex Ciliento has added three markers. In goal, Cari Makino and Tara Larson have split time in goal, and collectively have a 1.38 goals against average.

Wrapping Up Last Week’s Action: Valpo went 2-1 in three matches last week. The Crusaders opened the week’s action dropping a 3-0 decision to #22 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. Erin Murray made 12 saves in goal for Valpo. Valpo then won a pair of 1-0 decisions against Belmont and Northern Iowa at Eastgate Field. Jackie Thomas had the match-winner in both contests, including the overtime goal against UNI.

Succeeding in Overtime: With Valparaiso’s overtime victory over Northern Iowa on Sunday, the Crusaders are now unbeaten in extra sessions over their last 16 contests (7-0-9) dating back to 2003.

Murray Keeps Adding to Shutout Record: Erin Murray recorded her third shutout of the season against Belmont, giving her 17 for her career. Her school record is the most clean sheets for any Crusader, male or female, in school history. The three shutouts this year already tie for fifth on the school’s single season charts.

Cabral Also Keeps Opponents Off the Scoreboard: Sophomore netminder Mele Cabral recorded her second shutout of the season when she blanked Northern Iowa in the overtime victory. She now has two shutouts this year, tying for seventh on the single season shutout list. Her two shutouts also rank her sixth on the school’s career charts. Cabral has not allowed a goal in her last 267:58 dating back to the 2006 season.

Thomas Makes Goals Count: Jackie Thomas currently leads the Crusaders in scoring with four goals, all of which have resulted in match-winners for Valpo. Her four match-winners are tied with Lori Moore (2000 and 2001) and Lori Johnson (2006) for the most in a single season in Crusader history. In addition, Thomas now has five career victors, tied for fourth all-time.

Johnson and Brown Also Score Winners: Lori Johnson is third in school history with six match-winning goals over the course of her career while Kendall Brown is just one match-winner behind, as her five markers are tied for fourth on the all-time list with Jackie Thomas.

Four Among Scoring Elite: Valparaiso currently has four players among the top-10 in school history on the all-time goal scoring list. Junior Kendall Brown is tied for fourth all-time with 15 goals while classmate Lori Johnson is alone in sixth place after scoring a goal this year to give her 12 for her career. Sophomore Sarah Jewell has moved into a tie for seventh on the scoring charts after posting goal number 11 earlier this season. Jackie Thomas has scored four times this year, ranking her in a tie for ninth with eight career markers.

Sharing the Wealth: The Crusaders have had seven different goal scorers on the 11 tallies thus far this season. In addition, 10 different players have registered at least one point on the year.

McGlone and Murphy Tied for Seventh on All-Time Assist Charts: Dana McGlone and Laura Murphy each are in a tie for seventh place on Valpo’s career assist list. The pair each have seven helpers during their career wearing the Brown and Gold.

Brown, Johnson, and Jewell Among Points Leaders: Kendall Brown is tied for fourth in school history with 36 career points. Lori Johnson ranks seventh on the same list with her 29 points while Sarah Jewell has moved into eighth place with 24 points over her career.

Pappas Leads Valpo in Assists From the Corner: Freshman Lynnea Pappas has dished out a pair of assists already this season, both coming on restart corner kicks that found teammates’ heads in the goal box. In addition, Pappas also has scored directly from a corner kick opportunity this year.

Valpo Has Five Shutouts in Seven Matches: The Crusader defense has been stingy throughout the first seven matches of the year. Valpo has shutout five opponents, one shy of the current school record of six set in 2004 for single season shutouts as a team. Valpo’s 0.714 shutout percentage ranks 12th in all of NCAA Division I.

Valpo Racks Up Corners: The Crusaders have already won 40 corner kick opportunities this season while surrendering just 14 chances to their opponents. Valpo had similar numbers in 2006, racking up 119 chances to just 30 for the opposition.

Home Sweet Home: Valparaiso is 4-1 thus far this season at Eastgate Field, continuing to show how difficult it is for opponents to win on the Crusaders’ home turf. Valpo is now 21-6-1 at home since the start of the 2004 season.

Crusaders Tied for Best Seven-Match Start in School History: Valparaiso’s 5-2 mark through seven matches ties this year’s team with both the 2005 and 2006 squads for the best start in school history through seven matches. In 2005, the Crusaders dropped their next two matches while the 2006 team won five more contests to start the year 10-2.

Anthony Closing in on Win #75: Head coach Stephen Anthony is two wins shy of 75 for his career. The Crusader leader has led Valpo to 39 victories since the start of the 2004 season.

Valpo Tied for Best Non-Conference Record in Horizon League: Valparaiso’s 5-2 record to start the year is matched only by Wright State among the nine schools in the Horizon League thus far. Valpo, competing in the league for the first time this season, has assured itself of at least a .500 record when conference action begins in two weeks.

Valpo Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll: The Crusaders were selected to finish in sixth place in their inaugural season as members of the Horizon League according to the preseason poll conducted of the league’s head coaches. Valpo will open Horizon League play on September 30 at Eastgate Field against Loyola.