The Valparaiso University women’s soccer team battled gamely with a regionally-ranked Saint Louis side Friday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb., but a 37th minute goal was enough to give the Billikens a 1-0 victory over the Crusaders.

How it Happened

• Saint Louis controlled the first half, out-shooting the Crusaders 10-1 and earning seven corner kicks, but good work by redshirt freshman Tess Barrett (Tinley Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) – making her first career start in goal – helped limit SLU to just one first-half goal.
• The Billikens’ lone goal came in the 37th minute. Tori Marshall sent a ball into the box which Evie Lavelle headed in for her first goal of the season to give SLU the 1-0 lead.
• Valpo played toe-to-toe with SLU over the final 45 minutes, out-shooting the Billikens 4-3 and putting three shots on goal, but was unable to find the equalizer.

Inside the Game

• Barrett stopped six shots in the loss – through two appearances, she has saved nine out of the 10 shots on goal against her.
• Efforts on goal in the second half were recorded by senior April Cronin (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South), senior Robin Wenzel (Woodstock, Ill./Marian Central Catholic) and redshirt freshman Ava Porlier (Downers Grove, Ill./South).
• Wenzel made her season debut on Friday, playing 29 minutes off the bench after not appearing in the first two weekends of action. Also making her first appearance of the season was junior Sydney Gountounas (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew), who saw 31 minutes of playing time.
• The Billikens ended the game with advantages of 13-5 in shots, 7-3 in shots on goal and 8-1 in corner kicks.

Thoughts From Head Coach John Marovich

“Tess Barrett had a really nice performance today. She commanded the box well and was clean with her hands on crosses and shots.”

“We had a hard time creating a rhythm to our possession today, which resulted in more defending. However, when we connected, we were able to get into the attacking third and get service in, but lacked the final touch.”

“Saint Louis has a quality side which showed us areas that we need to be faster in our decision-making process. But we also saw today that, even against a quality team, when we string passes together, we create dangerous situations."

Next Up

The Crusaders (2-3-0) will conclude play in Lincoln with a Sunday morning contest versus Kansas. Kickoff is slated for 10 a.m., with live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com.