Valparaiso University

There was no lack of fireworks Sunday afternoon at Brown Field, as after visiting Evansville opened the scoring, the Valpo soccer team punched back with a five-pack of goals to earn a 5-1 victory over the Purple Aces and earn a key three points in the MVC standings.
 
How It Happened

• A quick counter by UE in the 14^th minute led to a goal from Josie Seehafer.
• It took Valpo less than 10 minutes to move back to level terms, as the Beacons scored their opener in the 23^rd minute. Daisy Boardman (Warrington, England/Bridgwater) came down the center of the field and got by her defender before running into traffic in the box. Boardman slipped a pass to her left to Martha Goddard (London, England/Alleyns School), who took a couple touches and teased the ball onto her left foot before going just under the crossbar from 12 yards out.
• It was almost exactly 10 minutes later that Valpo took the lead, scoring its second in the 33^rd minute. Alyssa Thomas (Waunakee, Wis./Waunakee [Wright State]) took a corner and sent it to the near post, where Kiara Desiderio (St. John, Ind./Hanover Central) was stationed. With the Aces' goalkeeper coming out to try to claim the ball, Desiderio got up before the keeper's arrival and was able to use her head to flick it past and into the back of the net.
• The Beacons took a 2-1 lead into halftime, and the goals kept coming after intermission — the first arriving in the 51^st minute. A clearance attempt by the Aces was intercepted by Sofia Raco (Mississauga, Ont./Holy Name of Mary College School) on the right side of the field. The rookie took one touch and launched a shot 12 yards from the end line, struck perfectly to fall under the crossbar and make it 3-1 Valpo.
• Video review proved helpful to the Valpo cause in the 64^th minute, as after an initial no-call on the field, a challenge led to a handball being called on an Evansville player in the penalty area. Goddard stepped up to take the ensuing penalty and left no doubt with her right-footed effort into the bottom-right corner.
• The Beacons closed out the scoring in the 84^th minute with a nine-pass sequence from one end of the field to the other. Brylie Walos (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) possessed the ball on the left and slid a pass into the path of a sprinting Lily Printz (Fishers, Ind./Mt. Vernon). Printz carried into the attacking third and cut inside her defender into the box before sending a pass along the ground towards the middle of the area. Waiting there was an open Ivy Barba (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury), who took one touch and then went top-shelf with a left-footed strike from the edge of the six.

 
Inside the Match

• The five goals are a season best for the Beacons, besting a pair of four-goal outputs earlier in the year.
• It was the first time Valpo has had at least three matches in a season with four or more goals since 2006.
• It is the Beacons' highest goal total and largest margin of victory since an identical 5-1 score line last season at Western Illinois.
• The four-goal win matches the program's largest margin of victory in a conference match since joining the MVC, tying a 4-0 win over UIC in 2022 and a 5-1 win over Indiana State in 2018.
• Sunday was just the second time in program history Valpo has scored at least five goals in a conference match that ended 11-v-11, joining a 6-2 win at Youngstown State in 2000.
• The aforementioned 5-1 2018 triumph over Indiana State saw Valpo score four goals after the Sycamores picked up a red card in the 74^th minute, while a 6-0 win at Youngstown State in 2015 was aided by a YSU red card in the 44^th minute, after which Valpo scored four of its goals.
• The five goals and four-goal victory were both highs for Valpo in the 24 matches in the all-time series against Evansville.
• The Beacons have scored three or more goals in four of their last five fixtures against the Purple Aces after doing so just twice in the series' first 19 matches.
• Sunday's win was Valpo's fifth at Brown Field this season, matching the most home wins in a season since the 2014 team won seven times on its home turf. The 2017, 2021 and 2022 teams also won five home matches apiece.
• For the fifth time in 10 seasons in the MVC, Valpo claimed the unofficial Hoosier State crown in the triangle of matches between Valpo, Indiana State and Evansville. It is the first time Valpo has emerged on top of the mini three-team table since 2023.
• Valpo will finish the regular season with a perfect 4-0-0 record against teams from the state of Indiana, thanks to additional nonconference wins over Southern Indiana and Purdue Fort Wayne. It is the first time in program history it has won all of its matches against in-state foes while playing at least four of them.
• It is the first time since 2017 Valpo has won at least four matches against in-state opposition (4-1-0) and the first time since 2010 it hasn't dropped a match to an in-state foe (3-0-2).
• Goddard's brace was her third of the season and boosted her season goal total to nine, moving her atop the MVC chart in that category.
• Goddard cracked Valpo's single-season top-10 chart with her first goal of the day and ended the day in a tie for seventh-most goals in a season in program history. With 19 points, the sophomore has also moved onto Valpo's single-season points chart.
• Desiderio's goal was her seventh of the season, the second straight season she has scored seven goals. She joins Lori Moore, April Cronin, Cory Griffith and Addy Joiner as the only players in program history with seven or more goals in consecutive seasons.
• Desiderio is just one goal away from the program's career top-10 chart, as Sunday's tally was the 14^th of her career, and she is just one shy of cracking the single-season top-10 as well.
• Raco's goal was the third of her freshman campaign, while Barba found the back of the net for the first time as a Beacon.
• Boardman's assist on the opener was her second of the season and the fourth of her career.
• Thomas delivered the assist on the eventual match-winner, her team-best fourth helper of the season. She has five assists in her two seasons with the Beacons and six total for her collegiate career.
• Printz had the primary assist on the final goal of the day, her second of the year, while Walos' secondary assist was her third assist of the season and fourth of her career.
• Valpo finished the match with a 26-12 advantage in shot attempts and put 14 on goal to the Purple Aces' six. Salange Bell (Montclair, N.J./Montclair Kimberly Academy [Montclair State]) made five saves in goal to earn the victory.
• Valpo's 26 shots were a season high in the category by seven, and was the program's highest single-match output since totaling 28 shots in a 2022 match against Purdue Fort Wayne.
• Sunday's result, combined with other results around the conference, puts Valpo in the six-team MVC Tournament field if the season were to end today. Two of the Beacons' remaining three matches are against teams currently below them in the standings.

 
Thoughts From Coach Marovich
"We had a great response after conceding early. We answered less than ten minutes later through Martha and never looked back. We'd created good looks right from the start, and I was pleased we didn't let the early goal change our approach. We kept to our tactical plan and it paid off."

"Winning second balls was a critical component today. That's what let us keep Evansville pinned in for long stretches. We moved the ball quickly, swung it side to side and that created a lot of crosses into the box. We looked to take shots today and that was executed with 26 total, putting 14 on frame. We wanted plenty of touches in the box today, and we did that really well."

"We had so many solid performances. Sofia Raco did a really good job holding up play and facing up to defenders from the nine. Her production of seven shots and a goal was impactful. Martha scored twice, but her work on the left flank was dangerous all afternoon, in attack and in how it helped us defensively. Kiara was a constant threat with eight shots and a goal of her own. And our midfield three put in a tremendous shift by creating possession, winning individual duels, and swinging the ball. It was wonderful to see that transfer from the training ground to the match."

"Ivy's goal late was a great one to see come to life from an underlapping run and service from Lily Printz, with Brylie Walos also involved in the buildup. That's exactly what we work on, and it's the reward for the work they put in during the week."

"Sophia Bonacci, Emma Paraskos, and Hannah Seiler all made a real impact today. That depth matters, and it was great to see them step in and contribute to a performance like this."

Next Up
Valpo (6-7-2, 2-3-1 MVC) hits the road for another key Valley battle, as the Beacons make the trip to Nashville to face Belmont Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.