Valparaiso (1-0-0, 0-0-0 MVC)
Thursday, Aug. 22 - at Eastern Illinois (0-1-1) - 2 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 25 - Milwaukee (0-1-0) - 1 p.m.
Next Up in Valpo Soccer: After a winning start to the season last weekend, the Valpo soccer team looks to carry the momentum into its pair of matches this week. The Beacons head to Eastern Illinois for a Thursday matinee before returning home to make their season debut on Brown Field Sunday afternoon versus Milwaukee.
Previously: Valpo opened the 2024 campaign on the right foot last Sunday, making the short trip to Chicago and coming away with a 3-1 victory over Chicago State. Addy Joiner, Sam Gountounas and Ashley Trippeer found the back of the net for the Beacons.
Looking Ahead: Nonconference play rolls on with a single match next week, as the Beacons will be idle until playing at Ohio next Sunday, Sept 1.
Following the Beacons: Both matches this week will feature live ESPN+ broadcasts, while live stats for both matches will be available as well. All home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as part of The Valley on ESPN, while some road fixtures will have live video available as well.
Head Coach John Marovich: Entering his 17th season at the helm of the Valpo program, John Marovich holds a 133-118-48 (.525) 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: Eastern Illinois - The all-time series between the two programs is even at 7-7-3, but it's been a tale of two eras of dominance. The Panthers went 7-0-1 in eight matchups between 1995 and 2002, but since then, Valpo owns a 7-0-2 advantage. That record includes a 2-1 victory for the Beacons on Brown Field last year to open the regular season - Sam Gountounas and Allie Anderson netting goals in the win.
Milwaukee - Milwaukee holds a 16-2-0 advantage in the all-time series, but Valpo's two victories came within the last three matchups between the two sides as Horizon League counterparts. The last meeting between the two programs came on Brown Field Sept. 28, 2016, a 2-1 Valpo win courtesy of a Cory Griffith goal in extra time. Morgan Manzke also scored for Valpo in the victory, while Drew Moulton made three saves in goal.
Scouting the Opposition: Eastern Illinois - EIU is 0-1-1 to start the season, falling at Loyola by a 4-0 final and drawing Akron, 1-1. The Panthers posted a 4-9-4 record in 2023 and went 3-4-2 in OVC play. Abby Reinl and Alex Tetteh lead the EIU returnees, as each netted three goals last year to tie for team-high honors.
Milwaukee - The Panthers opened the regular season with a 4-2 loss at Xavier last Thursday and play at Ohio State this Thursday before arriving at Brown Field. Milwaukee won the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles last season, claiming its eighth regular season crown in the last nine years and 22 out of the last 24 years (notably, Valpo in 2014 was one of the two sides to deny the Panthers the title in that stretch). Kayla Rollins returns after earning First Team All-Region honors last year following a campaign where she netted 12 goals and tallied a pair of assists.
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. Notably, the program has matched or surpassed its preseason projection in six of its first seven seasons in the Valley, and the only season it didn't was 2023, when Valpo eventually claimed the MVC Tournament title.
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.
Winning the Opener: Valpo improved to 12-19-1 in program history in season openers with its win Sunday over Chicago State. It was just the fourth time in program history Valpo had won a season opener away from home (2006, 2010, 2018), while the three goals the Beacons put home on Sunday matched their highest output in a season opener (2010, 2017).
Moving On Up: It took senior forward Addy Joiner less than seven minutes to open her 2024 account on Sunday from the penalty spot, the 19th goal of her career. Joiner now sits alone in sixth place in program history with her 19 tallies, one shy of fifth and two shy of fourth. She also now sits alone in seventh place with 42 points, three out of sixth.
Quick Start to the Second Half: Whatever message head coach John Marovich had in his halftime team talk on Sunday, he might want to bottle up and save for a big game. Just 34 seconds into the second half, senior Sam Gountounas delivered the eventual match-winning goal. It was the fastest goal to start a second half in program history, surpassing Lori Moore's strike against IUPUI 42 seconds into the half on Sept. 29, 2002.
Productive Debuts: Two Valpo rookies had goal involvements in their collegiate debut on Sunday. Landyn Wessels picked up the assist on Sam Gountounas' goal early in the second half, while Ashley Trippeer closed out the scoring with the late insurance goal.
More Debutants: Wessels and Trippeer were two of a whopping 10 players to make their Valpo debuts on Sunday. Trippeer was joined in the starting lineup by redshirts Kate Sheridan and Carly Stewart, as well as true freshman Maya Tyburowski - all making their collegiate debuts. Transfer Ella Schad came off the bench, as did redshirt Emma Paraskos and true freshmen Alexis Suptela, Kaleigh Shafer and Ashlyn Cohen in addition to Wessels.
Mixing and Matching: Head coach John Marovich has plenty of options at his disposal this year and experimented with a number of them in the season opener. Marovich ended up giving run to 21 players in all, including 20 field players. Notably, goalkeeper Kate Sheridan and right back Ashley Trippeer were the only Beacons to play the full 90 minutes - the first time in program history in a season opener that only one field player has gone the full 90.
Looking for More: The Beacons will take aim at starting 2-0-0 for a second straight season Thursday afternoon when they step on the field at Eastern Illinois. Last year's team took down Eastern Illinois and Northern Illinois in their first two matches of the season. In all, Valpo has started 2-0-0 four times in program history (2010, 2012, 2017, 2023). Beyond that, the program has never started 3-0-0 and has been unbeaten through at least the first three matches just twice, opening 3-0-2 in 2010 and 2-0-1 in 2012.
Back on Brown: Valpo makes its home debut on Sunday when it hosts Milwaukee, trying to win its home opener for a third straight season. The Beacons are coming off one of their best home seasons in program history last year, as they posted a 4-1-3 record on Brown Field.
We Know You! And You!: This week's slate presents Valpo with a pair of opportunities to renew acquaintances with former conference mates. Eastern Illinois and Valpo both competed as affiliate members of the MVC for the Valley's first three seasons of women's soccer (1996-98). More recently, Valpo and Milwaukee spent 10 years (2007-16) battling as foes in the Horizon League.
Joiner Leads the Line: Senior forward Addy Joiner enters her final year looking for one more standout campaign to cap her prolific career in the Brown and Gold. Joiner earned First Team All-MVC recognition as a sophomore as she led the team and ranked second in the Valley with seven goals scored. Last year, she was a Third Team All-MVC selection, pacing the Beacons and ranking third in the MVC with eight goals while also chipping in a pair of assists. Joiner entered the 2024 campaign tied for sixth in program history with 18 career goals.
From Newbie to Veteran: It's not often you'd call a sophomore a veteran presence, but that is exactly what sophomore center back Anna Cup brings to the Beacons' back line. As a rookie last season, Cup slotted in immediately to the team's defense, starting in each of her 22 appearances and missing only one match due to injury. Of her 22 starts, she went the distance in 21 of them, while Valpo surrendered one goal or fewer in 18 of her 22 starts. For her defensive efforts, Cup earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team.
Scooter Shines: Senior left back Abby White has been a steady sight running up and down the left side since she stepped on campus in 2021. White, who has accumulated over 4,500 minutes of playing time through her first three seasons, was an MVC All-Freshman Team choice in 2021 and earned Third Team All-MVC honors in 2022. Last season, White came up big in one of the biggest moments, as she scored the match-winning goal in extra time of the Beacons' MVC Tournament semifinal victory over Missouri State, bending in a corner kick for an Olimpico in the 97th minute. White played all 380 minutes of the tournament run, part of a back line which posted four consecutive clean sheets, and was named to the MVC All-Tournament Team.
Big Shoes to Fill: While the Valpo program graduated a decorated class of seniors following last season, perhaps none was more decorated than Nikki Coryell, the three-time MVC Goalkeeper of the Year and four-time All-MVC honoree. With Coryell's departure, the Beacons entered this season with a grand total of 0 collegiate regular season minutes at goalkeeper on their roster. A trio of netminders will look to step in and try to take their place in the legacy of strong Valpo goalkeepers: redshirt sophomore Kate Sheridan, redshirt freshman Helen Stegner and true freshman Hailey Wade.
The English Influence: Last season marked the first time in program history Valpo's roster featured a player from England, as Daisy Boardman arrived on campus from Warrington, Cheshire. This season, the number of players from across the pond doubles, as Kate Jeffery joins the Beacons from Southampton, Hampshire. In addition, Louis Owens - a native of Basingstoke, Hampshire - will work with the goalkeepers as the coaching staff's graduate assistant this year.
That Tourney Run: It was a magical 11 days in late October and early November last fall, as Valpo embarked on its dramatic run to claiming the MVC Tournament championship. The Beacons won all four of their tournament fixtures by 1-0 finals - the first time in program history Valpo has won four matches in a single postseason, and the first time in program history the team has strung together 1-0 wins in four straight matches. The final three of those four victories came over the top three teams in the regular season standings, including the title match win over host and regular season champion Drake. In three of those four matches, it took the Beacons until after halftime to find their lone goal, including one match that went to extra time scoreless. As the sixth seed in the MVC Tournament, Valpo became the lowest seed ever to win the Valley title and was the first team outside the top-two to claim the championship since 2007.
Conference Success: Valpo has enjoyed consistent success within conference play over the last few seasons. Since the start of the spring 2021 campaign, the Beacons are 19-7-10 within regular season MVC matches - a mark which improves to 19-5-10 with the removal of two matches versus departed conference foe Loyola.
