Valparaiso (3-5-0, 0-0-0 Horizon)
Crusaders kick off Horizon League play; face final non-league foe
Friday, Sept. 16 - 6 p.m. CT – Cleveland, Ohio – at Cleveland State (3-5-0, 0-0-0 Horizon)
Sunday, Sept. 18 – 1 p.m. – Brown Field – Morehead State (3-3-1, 0-0-0 OVC)
This Week in Crusader Soccer: The Valparaiso University women's soccer team opens up Horizon League action on the road this Friday evening as the Crusaders play at Cleveland State. Valpo then returns home to Brown Field Sunday afternoon for its final non-league fixture of the year, hosting Morehead State. As is the program's tradition, the Crusaders will celebrate Senior Day Sunday before their final regular season home non-league contest.
Previously: Valpo split a pair of non-league matches last weekend, defending the home turf at Brown Field with a 2-0 win over Fort Wayne before falling in extra time at regionally-ranked Western Michigan, 3-2.
Looking Ahead: Only one game is on the docket next week for the Crusaders, as Valpo will host Detroit in league play on Homecoming Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
Following the Crusaders: Both matches this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN3, WatchESPN and the ESPN app. Both games will also have live stats available, with links available via ValpoAthletics.com. In addition, WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) will carry Sunday's game against Morehead State.
Head Coach John Marovich: The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year, John Marovich holds a 76-57-27 record both overall and with Valpo in his ninth season at the helm of the Brown and Gold. Just the third head coach in program history, Marovich is just two wins shy of moving into a tie as the program's all-time winningest coach.
Series Notes: Cleveland State - The Crusaders own a dominating 11-1-0 advantage in the all-time series over CSU, including five straight wins. Valpo has posted clean sheets in six of the last nine meetings. Last season, a golden goal from Shelby Oelschlager in the 101st minute closed out the regular season for Valpo with a 1-0 win over the Vikings.
Morehead State - The Eagles have won both previous meetings with the Crusaders, including most recently a 1-0 decision in Valpo in August of 2011.
Scouting the Opposition: Cleveland State - The Vikings enter Horizon League play with an identical mark to the Crusaders, sitting at 3-5-0 on the season. CSU snapped a three-match losing streak last time out with a 1-0 win over St. Bonaventure. Kaila Sargema and Aliani Lorenzo are tied for team-high honors with three goals apiece this year.
Morehead State - The Eagles enter the weekend at 3-3-1 overall, falling 2-0 at Western Kentucky last time out to end a three-match unbeaten streak. They will play at Ball State Friday evening before continuing on to Valpo on Sunday. Ashley Ritchie has scored three of Morehead State's seven goals this season.
Crusaders Picked Fourth in Preseason Poll: Valpo has been chosen to finish in a tie for fourth place in the Horizon League preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches. The Crusaders totaled 57 points in the preseason polling, in which coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team, to tie Wright State for fourth place. Oakland edged out Milwaukee by one point to top the preseason poll.
Looking Back at 2015: Last year's Crusader squad posted a 7-8-3 record, including a 4-4-1 mark in Horizon League play. April Cronin and graduated senior Rita Craven both repeated as First Team All-League honorees and were NSCAA Third Team All-Region choices, while Kelsey Jahn represented the Crusaders on the league's All-Freshman Team.
Moving On Up: Senior April Cronin moved into a tie for second on the Crusaders' all-time goal-scoring chart last weekend as she found the back of the net for the eventual match-winning goal in Valpo's win over Fort Wayne. Cronin's goal was the 21st of her career, tying her with Emily King for the second-most in program history. The senior now has 49 career points as well, just three shy of a tie for second in that category. The match-winner versus the Mastodons was Cronin's eighth game-winning goal, third-most in program history.
Freshmen Scoring: Two Crusader freshmen accounted for three of Valpo's four goals last weekend. Ali Quillen netted her first career goal late in the first half against Fort Wayne, registering the insurance tally in the Crusaders' 2-0 win. Then, on Sunday, Ava Porlier registered not one but two goals late against Western Michigan, helping the Crusaders rally from a 2-0 deficit with scores in the 79th and 84th minutes to force extra time - the first two goals of her career. Three different freshmen have now accounted for four of Valpo's 10 goals this year, as Adi Johnson has also opened her Crusader account.
Brace For Success: Porlier's two-goal effort last time out at WMU made her the third different Crusader to score at least two goals in a game this season. Cory Griffith scored both of Valpo's goals earlier this year in a 2-0 win over New Mexico State, while Cronin did one better with a hat trick in a 3-2 overtime win at Loyola. Just eight games into this season, the Crusaders have already had as many multi-goal games as they did all of last season.
Weekly League Honors: Porlier earned Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week honors for her two-goal performance at Western Michigan in just the fourth weekend of her play in her career. Earlier this year, Cronin picked up Offensive PoW honors as well, following a seven-point weekend - including her hat trick at Loyola. Entering this year, Valpo had not earned a Horizon League Offensive PoW award since the league split offense and defense in 2012.
Experience Back in 2016: Among the 18 letterwinners who return for the Crusaders in 2016 are seven of last season's 11 most regular starters. The team features plenty of new blood as well, however, as nine freshmen are in their first year at Valparaiso.
