Saturday, October 29, 2005

Valparaiso's bid for an outright Mid-Continent Conference title fell short on Saturday afternoon as the Crusaders dropped a 1-0 match to Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah.

The Crusaders will still share the Mid-Continent Conference title, the first in school history, with Oakland and possibly Oral Roberts pending the outcome of their match Saturday night at IUPUI. Southern Utah also clinched a berth in the Mid-Con Tournament with the win.

The Thunderbirds found the back of the net 35:19 into the first half as Dani Lavigne scored unassisted, putting the ball to the high left post.

Southern Utah (7-3-6, 3-1-2 Mid-Con) outshot the Crusaders 10-4 in the first half and 14-10 for the match, holding a 7-5 advantage on net.

Erin Murray (Pleasanton, Calif./Amador Valley H.S.) turned aside six Thunderbird shots while Holly Davis made five saves for her fifth shutout of the season.

Valparaiso (10-7-1, 4-2) has concluded the regular season and will next head to the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament next weekend in Tulsa, Okla. The semifinals will take place Friday with the championship match slated for 1 p.m. Sunday. Pairings will be announced in the next few days.