Complete PDF Notes

 Match #4: Friday, Sept. 5, 4 p.m. CDT
IUPUI (1-2, 0-0 Summit)
at Valpo (2-1, 0-0 Horizon)
Match #5: Sunday Sept. 7, 1 p.m. CDT
Valpo (2-1, 0-0 Horizon)
at Indiana State (1-3, 0-0 MVC)

This Week in Crusader Soccer: Valparaiso returns to action for a pair of matches against instate foes this week.  The Crusaders will be at home at Eastgate Field on Friday afternoon to battle IUPUI before traveling to Terre Haute, Ind. on Sunday to face Indiana State.

On the Air: Neither of this weekend’s contests will be carried live online or on the radio.

Head Coach John Marovich: John Marovich is 2-1 in his first season overall and with the Crusaders after serving as an assistant for six years.

Series Notes: Valparaiso is 6-3-1 all-time against IUPUI in a series that dates back to 1998.  The Crusaders have won the last three meetings between the schools, including a 2-0 triumph in Indianapolis on September 9, 2007.  Valpo holds a 6-2 series edge against Indiana State dating back to the 2000 season.  The Crusaders have won four straight against the Sycamores following a 3-1 victory at Eastgate Field on September 28, 2008.

Scouting IUPUI: The Jaguars have yet to play at home this season and will play the fourth match of a five-city road trip when they come to Valpo on Friday.  The Jaguars defeated Lipscomb 3-1 last Friday before falling 2-1 at Murray State on Sunday.  Alicia Brock leads IUPUI in scoring with two goals while Katrina McCrory has a goal and an assist.  In goal, Jamie Farrell has played every minute, posting a 1.33 goals against average and a .667 save percentage.

Scouting Indiana State: The Sycamores have dropped three straight matches following a season-opening victory against Eastern Illinois. Katie Geyman scored the lone goal for Indiana State this season, the match-winner in overtime against the Panthers.  In goal, Taylor Nelson has logged a majority of the minutes for Indiana State thus far this year.  Last weekend, the Sycamores dropped matches at Florida Atlantic and Florida Gulf Coast.

Wrapping Up Last Week’s Action: Molly Uyenishi’s goal just under 15 minutes into the match proved to be the difference on Friday evening as Colorado College defeated Valpo 1-0 in Colorado Springs, Colo.  On Sunday afternoon, Jackie Kondratko headed home the match-winner in the 61st minute as the Crusaders defeated Air Force 1-0 at the United States Air Force Academy.

Kondratko Scores in a Big Way: Jackie Kondratko entered the 2008 season with just three career goals, none of which were match-winners.  Through three matches this season, the junior has both of Valpo’s tallies, and both are match-winners, putting her won victor shy of cracking the Crusaders’ top-10 for career winners.  In addition to the goal against Air Force, she had one in the season opener against Ball State.

Cabral Moves Up Shutouts Chart: With the shutout against Air Force on Sunday, Mele Cabral now has four career clean sheets, moving her into sole possession of fourth place on Valpo’s career list.  Her next shutout will tie her with Rose Holtkamp (1998-2002) for third all-time.

Cabral Shutout Streak Snapped: Mele Cabral had not given up a goal in 396:42 of action dating back to October 8, 2006 against Lewis until allowing a marker at the 14:55 mark of the contest Friday against Colorado College.  The junior did not surrender a goal in 2007 and picked right back up following the goal, posting a shutout against Air Force.  Her new streak of scoreless play is now at 165:05.

Trio Among Top Scorers All-Time: Kendall Brown ranks in a tie for third place all-time at Valpo with 18 career goals.  Her 44 career points also rank third on the Crusader career list.  Lori Johnson is sixth in school history with 12 goals and seventh with 31 points while Sarah Jewell is tied for seventh with 11 goals and eighth with 27 points.

Partee’ and Nuccio Make Valpo Debuts: Candice Partee’ and Mikki Nuccio both made their Crusader debuts in Colorado.  Partee’ saw her first action of the season at Colorado College while Nuccio appeared at Air Force for the first time.

Valpo Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll: The Crusaders were selected to finish in a tie for fifth place in the Horizon League according to the preseason poll conducted of the league’s head coaches.  Milwaukee was picked to win the league.