Valparaiso (3-5-3, 0-1-2 MVC)
Saturday, Oct. 4 - UNI (3-4-3, 0-1-2 MVC) - 5 p.m.

Next Up in Valpo Soccer: The Valpo soccer team continues MVC play with a single match this week, returning home to Brown Field Saturday evening to host UNI on Youth Soccer Day. 

Previously: The Beacons earned a pair of draws in Valley action last week, battling Illinois State to a scoreless tie last Thursday night before recording another point with a 1-1 draw Sunday at UIC.

Looking Ahead: Next week is another single-match week for Valpo, which makes the trip to Terre Haute Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12.

Following the Beacons: This week's match will be carried on ESPN+. All home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+ as part of The Valley on ESPN, while select road fixtures will also have live video available. 

Head Coach John Marovich: In his 18th season at the helm of the Valpo program, John Marovich holds a 139-136-52 (.505) 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: Valpo holds a 7-5-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Panthers and is 4-4-2 against UNI since joining the Valley. The Beacons had been unbeaten in four straight against the Panthers until last season's meeting, a 4-0 UNI victory in Cedar Falls. The last meeting on Brown Field came Oct. 19, 2023, a 2-0 Valpo win.

Scouting the Opposition: UNI comes into Saturday's contest at 3-4-3 overall and sits level with Valpo in the MVC table at 0-1-2 in Valley action. The Panthers drew with Indiana State (3-3) and Murray State (1-1) to open MVC play before falling 4-1 at Belmont last time out. Macy Smith has scored a team-best four goals this year, while Olivia Knoepfle has a team-high nine points (3g, 3a). Kennedy Buntenbach has seen the majority of time in goal and owns a 1.66 GAA with a .692 save percentage.

Fit to Be Tied: After entering last week having only drawn two out of their last 37 matches dating back to the 2023 campaign, the Beacons came away with both matches last week with ties. It was the first time Valpo has tied back-to-back contests since that 2023 season, when it actually finished with draws in three consecutive MVC fixtures.

Nil-Nil: If it seems like it had been a while since Valpo's last 0-0 draw prior to last Thursday's result against Illinois State, you weren't imagining things. It had been almost two full years since the Beacons' last scoreless tie - Sept. 28, 2023 against Missouri State. And prior to that, you had to go to Oct. 6, 2022, also against the Redbirds in Normal.

Desiderio Does It Again: Another match, another goal for freshman Kiara Desiderio, as the rookie found the back of the net early last time out at UIC for her sixth goal of the campaign. Her six goals are good for third in the Valley, are the most of any MVC freshman and are tied for third-most nationally by a freshman. She also ranks third among Valley players with 13 points as well.

More on Kiara: Desiderio has been honored twice by the MVC this season, being named MVC Player of the Week Sept. 16 and MVC Freshman of the Week Aug. 26. She was the first Valpo freshman to earn one of the non-freshman weekly awards from the MVC since Nikki Coryell was a two-time Defensive Player of the Week in the spring of 2021 as a rookie. She owns a pair of braces this year, striking for two goals apiece in wins over Western Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne.

Freshman Scoring Chart: Desiderio's goal against UIC moved her into a tie for fifth place for goals scored by a freshman in program history, joining Vanesa Abad (2014) with six. Kendall Brown (2005) and Sarah Jewell (2006) share the program record for goals by a freshman with 10, while Lisa Springs (1998) and Rachel Hoaglin (2009) tallied seven goals apiece in their respective rookie campaigns.

Strong Defense: The work of the Beacons' back line stood out last week, as Valpo surrendered just seven combined shots on goal over the two matches. Senior goalkeeper Kate Sheridan allowed just one goal over the pair of contests, recording the second clean sheet of her career in the scoreless draw with Illinois State.

O'Rear in the Top Ten: Desiderio is joined by senior Molly O'Rear among the Valley's top-10 in points, as O'Rear sits in a tie for sixth with nine points, having tallied three goals and three assists. The senior is also tied for seventh in the MVC in assists with her three helpers, joined by teammate Martha Goddard among others.

A Helping Foot: Goddard, who is tied for team-high honors with three asists, tallied those assists in three consecutive matches Aug. 24-31. The three assists are the most by a Valpo freshman since Cierra Welch tallied three in 2019, while Goddard is the first Valpo player with a helper in three straight contests since Grace Rogers closed out the 2017 season with an assist in each of Valpo's final three matches.

Quick Starts: Desiderio wasted no time getting on the scoresheet Sunday at UIC, finding the back of the net with just 3:34 having ticked off the clock. It was the quickest goal by a Valpo player since Addy Joiner scored 1:42 into the Beacons' match at Murray State on Oct. 20 last season. 

Meanwhile, of Valpo's five goals in its nonconference finale at Western Illinois, four of them came in quick succession in the first half, as the Beacons found the back of the net in the sixth, eighth, 11th and 20th minutes to put four on the board inside a third of an hour. Valpo set a new program standard for the earliest into a match it has hit the back of the net four times, while it was the quickest Valpo has put three on the board since opening up with three goals in 6:02 at Green Bay Oct. 31, 2014.

A Big Win: The Beacons rolled to a 5-1 victory in their nonconference finale at Western Illinois, the five-goal output the program's largest since winning by an identical 5-1 scoreline against Chicago State Aug. 31, 2023. It was the program's largest road win since beating Youngstown State 6-0 Sept. 26, 2015.

A Youthful Side: For the second straight season, the Beacons have the vast majority of minutes being played by underclassmen. Through the season's first 11 matches, 83.3% of the minutes played by field players have come from underclassmen, including 42.6% by Valpo's freshman class.

Weekly Awards: Valpo already has three MVC weekly award winners this year, as Desiderio's pair of honors are joined by Goddard's Freshman of the Week award Sept. 2. It is the first time Valpo has had multiple different players named MVC Freshman of the Week in the same season since Abby White, Dana Fish and Addy Joiner earned the honor once apiece during the 2021 season - that trio would go on to be instrumental in the 2022 MVC regular season championship side and the 2023 MVC Tournament championship team.

First Timers: With Tatum Coleman scoring in the win at Western Illinois, that makes five of the Beacons' six goal scorers who have netted their first collegiate goal this year. Molly O'Rear is Valpo's only goal scorer this season who came into the year with a collegiate goal to her credit.

Valley Adjustments: The round-robin Missouri Valley Conference slate has been shortened by one match this season, as with the departure of Missouri State, the MVC has a nine-game conference schedule for its 10 teams. In addition, the conference tournament will feature the top-six teams in the regular season standings, an adjustment from what was previously an eight-team field.

Preseason Honoree: Senior Molly O'Rear represented the Beacons as she earned preseason First Team All-MVC accolades. O'Rear has been a constant presence in the midfield for Valpo over her first three seasons, appearing in 56 matches and making 49 starts while playing a total of 3,579 minutes. She was an MVC All-Freshman Team selection as a rookie in 2022, when she scored four goals and tallied a pair of assists. O'Rear was a vital component of the program's MVC regular season title in 2022 and the team's MVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023.

Who's Back: 13 position players and one goalkeeper who saw action in 2024 for Valpo return in 2025, including seven regular starters.

Who's Gone: The Beacons will need to replace nearly half of their minutes played from last season, most notably the departure of graduate Addy Joiner, who finished her decorated career among the program's all-time leading goal scorers.

Who's New: Chomping at the bit to be the next group of Beacons to get Valpo back to among the MVC's best are 11 newcomers to the roster in 2025. The group of first-year players on Union Street include seven true freshmen and four transfers - three from other Division I programs and one from junior college.

Looking Back at Last Year: The Beacons finished the 2024 campaign with a 4-13-1 overall record, including a win over eventual Horizon League regular season and tournament champion Milwaukee. Beset by injuries, Valpo had 41% of its field minutes played by freshmen during the 2024 season - only one other MVC program had more than 25% of its field player minutes played by freshmen.