Valparaiso (0-0-0, 0-0-0 MVC)
Thursday, Aug. 14 - at Detroit Mercy (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Horizon) - 6 p.m. CT
Sunday, Aug. 17 - at Oakland (0-0-0, 0-0-0 MVC) - 6 p.m. CT

Next Up in Valpo Soccer: The 33rd season for the Valpo soccer program gets underway this week with a pair of road matches against former conference foes in the state of Michigan. The Beacons lift the lid on the 2025 campaign Thursday evening at Detroit Mercy before remaining in the Detroit metro area to take on Oakland Sunday evening.

Previously: Valpo faced outside competition once during the preseason, making the short trip into the Windy City to face DePaul.

Looking Ahead: The Beacons open their eight-match home slate next week as they take on Purdue Fort Wayne a week from Sunday.

Following the Beacons: Both matches this week will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. 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 136-131-49 (.508) 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: Detroit Mercy - The Titans hold a 10-5-0 advantage in the all-time series over Valpo, including extra-time wins in each of the two sides' last two meetings as Horizon League rivals in 2015 and 2016. The two matches prior to that were notable from Valpo's standpoint, as the Oct. 25, 2014 1-0 Valpo win gave the Brown and Gold the Horizon League regular season title and the Nov. 8, 2014 1-0 Valpo victory came in the Horizon League tournament championship match.
 
Oakland - The Golden Grizzlies own a 12-5-1 edge in the all-time series and have won four straight in the series, including most recently a 1-0 decision Aug. 25, 2019 in the two sides' lone meeting since Valpo joined the Missouri Valley Conference.

Scouting the Opposition: Detroit Mercy - The Titans finished third in the Horizon League standings last year, posting a 7-1-2 record in league play and a 10-8-2 overall mark. Abbey Lodato, who tied for team-high honors with eight goals scored last season, returns in 2025.

Oakland - The Golden Grizzlies finished last season with a 3-14-2 record overall and a 2-8-0 record within Horizon League play. 

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.

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.

Opening Things Up: The Beacons are going after a season-opening win for a third consecutive season Thursday evening, as they won 3-1 at Chicago State last season to open things up and took down Eastern Illinois on Brown Field by a 2-1 final in 2023. 

Looking for Nonconference Success: Valpo is looking to continue its run of successful results prior to conference play that it has enjoyed over the past few years. Last year's side posted a 4-4-0 record in nonconference action, the fourth time in the last five seasons the Beacons finished .500 or better in nonconference play.

Old Friend Alert: Opening weekend brings matches against two of four sides on the nonconference schedule that Valpo previously shared conference affiliation with. Valpo and Detroit Mercy were Horizon League opponents from 2007 through 2016, while Valpo and Oakland faced off as members of the Mid-Continent Conference from 1999 through 2006 and as Horizon League foes from 2013 through 2016. Later this fall, Valpo takes on Wright State (Horizon League, 2007-2016) and Western Illinois (Mid-Con, 1999-2006). Valpo also was in the Mid-Con with Chicago State prior to joining the Horizon League, but the Cougars did not sponsor women's soccer at that point.

Welcome Back Kate: Valpo brings back an MVC All-Freshman Team honoree from last season, as Kate Jeffrey returns for her second season in the Brown and Gold. Jeffery made an immediate impact as a rookie on the Beacons' midfield, appearing in each of Valpo's final 16 matches of the season and making 10 starts, including eight starting nods in Valley matches. Jeffery averaged 67.8 minutes per match in the Beacons' 10 MVC fixtures.

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.