Valparaiso (4-9-1, 0-5-1 MVC)
Thursday, Oct. 17 - at Belmont (6-8-2, 3-3-1 MVC) - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 20 - at Murray State (4-6-4, 0-3-3 MVC) - 1 p.m.

Next Up in Valpo Soccer: The Valpo soccer team heads into its lone two-match road trip of the season this week, traveling to take on Belmont Thursday evening before a Sunday afternoon fixture at Murray State.

Previously: In a goal-scoring bonanza at Brown Field Sunday, Valpo looked poised to capture all three points before visiting Evansville struck with an equalizer in the 89th minute as the match ended in a 3-3 draw.

Looking Ahead: The final week of the regular season awaits next week, with a home match Thursday night against UIC to close the home slate before a trip to Missouri State to finish out the regular season.

Following the Beacons: Both matches will be aired live on ESPN+ and will have live stats via ValpoAthletics.com. All home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as part of The Valley on ESPN, while most road fixtures will also have live video available. 

Head Coach John Marovich: In his 17th season at the helm of the Valpo program, John Marovich holds a 136-127-49 (.514) record both overall and at Valpo as a head coach. The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year and the head of the 2022 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year, Marovich holds Valpo's all-time records for both victories and winning percentage.

Series Notes: Belmont - Valpo holds a 6-3-0 advantage in the all-time series over the Bruins, including a 2-1-0 mark since Belmont joined the MVC. Last season, it was the Bruins with a 2-0 win in Valpo in regular season action before the Beacons avenged the defeat with a 1-0 victory in the opening round of the MVC Tournament.

Murray State - Valpo is 5-2-1 all-time against the Racers, but the series is knotted up at 1-1-1 since MSU moved to the Valley. Last season, the two sides played to a 1-1 draw on Brown Field, as Addy Joiner's goal in the second minute was answered by the Racers in the seventh minute.

Scouting the Opposition: Belmont - The Bruins enter Thursday's match at 6-8-2 overall and are 3-3-1 in MVC play, good for a tie for fourth place in the conference table. Belmont is winless in its last three, however, most recently falling 1-0 at Drake. Ava Labocki and Reagan Ross share team-high scoring honors with four goals apiece this season, while in goal, Sydney Jones has played the vast majority of minutes and owns a 1.17 GAA and a .798 save percentage.

Murray State - The Racers enter the week at 4-6-4 overall and 0-3-3 in Valley action, with a match against Indiana State Thursday night prior to the Beacons' arrival in Murray. Mary Hardy leads the team's scoring chart with five goals, while Griselda Revolorio has a 1.01 GAA and an .821 save percentage in goal.

Valpo Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll: The Beacons were chosen to finish in fifth place in preseason polling of the MVC head coaches. Valpo tallied 83 points in the poll, coming in just behind UIC (87) and UNI (85). Missouri State was picked to win the conference and garnered seven first-place votes, while Drake was chosen second and picked up three first-place nods. 

Preseason Honoree: Senior forward Addy Joiner was recognized by the Valley as a preseason First Team All-MVC honoree when the preseason poll was released. Joiner has twice earned postseason recognition, as she was a First Team All-MVC selection in 2022 and picked up Third Team All-MVC accolades in 2023. Joiner netted eight goals last season, tying her for third in the MVC and moving into a tie for ninth on the program's single-season goals chart. She enters her final campaign tied for sixth in program history with 18 career goals, tied for seventh with 40 points and tied for eighth with six match-winning goals.

Looking Back at Last Season: Valpo claimed its first MVC Tournament championship since joining the Valley in dramatic fashion in 2023, winning four consecutive tournament matches  by 1-0 finals to earn the crown and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, where it battled #9 Notre Dame to a scoreless first half before eventually falling 2-0. The Beacons finished the season 11-6-6 overall and went 3-3-4 in MVC regular season play, finishing sixth in the regular season standings. Nicole Norfolk was a First Team All-MVC selection, highlighting six Beacons who earned postseason recognition from the Valley, and also picked up Second Team All-Region honors.

Who's Back: In a rarity in the transfer portal era we live in, all 20 players from the 2023 team who did not graduate are back and on the 2024 roster. That includes five regular starters and 13 of the team's 27 goals from last season. 

Who's Gone: But the Beacons did graduate a decorated class of nine players who closed their time at Valpo with championships in back-to-back seasons, a group which accounted for 54.2% of the team minutes played in 2023. The four-year seniors who graduated put together maybe the best four-year stretch in program history, posting a 19-7-10 record in MVC play and advancing to four consecutive MVC Tournament semifinals. That group of seniors combined for nine All-MVC selections, 12 MVC weekly awards, 28 goals, 27 assists and 28 shutouts over their four years.

Who's New: Chomping at the bit to be the next group of Beacons to help keep Valpo among the MVC's best are 10 newcomers to the roster in 2024. That group includes nine true freshmen and grad transfer Ella Schad, who is utilizing her COVID year of eligibility after playing four seasons at Coastal Carolina.

Youth in the Side: Valpo's group of freshmen has been called upon to do some heavy lifting this season for the Beacons' side. Entering Sunday's match, Valpo's freshmen have accounted for 41.1% of the team's minutes played by field players. That figure is the highest among all MVC schools, while Illinois State (36.2%) is the only other team which comes in above 25%.

A Goal Bonanza: Valpo matched its season high on Sunday for goals in a match, putting three in the back of the net against Evansville. The three goals tied the Beacons' output from their season opener at Chicago State for a season best, and was the most goals Valpo has scored in a match since a 5-1 victory last August over Chicago State.

Tres a Trois: It wasn't quite Scorigami at Brown Field on Sunday between the Purple Aces and the Beacons, but it was as close as possible to it from Valpo's perspective as you can get. Prior to Sunday, there had been just one 3-3 draw in program history - honors were even at three goals apiece between Valpo and Indiana State in a nonconference matchup on Oct. 9, 2009.

Confidence, Cohen: A natural defender, freshman Ashlyn Cohen has been deployed up front for the Beacons over the last month. The move has paid off recently, with Cohen finding the back of the net twice over the last three matches - she scored her first collegiate goal on Oct. 3 at Illinois State to open the scoring, and last time out, she struck for Valpo's second goal of the game versus Evansville.

Seniors Scoring: While Valpo's second goal of Sunday's contest came from a freshman, it was bookended by a pair of seniors. Abby White opened the scoring with her first goal of the season and the fourth of her career, while Sam Gountounas struck for the Beacons' third goal, her third tally of the year and sixth of her career.

Joiner Just Keeps Going: Senior Addy Joiner enters the week tied for third on the MVC scoring chart, as she scored her fifth goal of the season against Drake. With a pair of assists to her credit, Joiner also is fifth in the MVC with 12 points.

Joiner's goal against Drake was the 23rd of her career, fourth-most in program history and two shy of April Cronin in third place. With 52 career points, she is tied with Emily King and Kendall Brown for fourth-most in program history, while she also ranks fifth all-time at Valpo with eight match-winning goals.