Valpo Wins, Oakland and Wright State Both Tie in Thursday Night Action

Thursday, September 5 Results
Valparaiso 1, Northwestern 0
Oakland 0, Michigan State 0 (2ot)
Wright State 0, Western Michigan 0 (2ot)

Valparaiso 1, Northwestern 0
Early pressure from the Crusaders set the tone for the remainder of the match Thursday night against the Northwestern Wildcats.  That pressure eventually led to the lone goal scored in an impressive 1-0 victory for the Crusader women. Freshman Katriona Anesini put Valpo ahead in the 33rd minute of the match and the Crusader defense ensured that the freshman's goal would be the game winner.

The Crusaders put their stamp on the game early; dominating possession and building a dangerous attack through the midfield.  Early on the game, the Crusaders put together several periods of solid possession that resulted in great chances on goal.  Senior Hailey Chmela and sophomore Rita Craven each took shots early in the game. Craven's chance forced the Wildcat goalie to produce an important early game save.  Craven was active all night, pressuring the Northwestern backs and turning them over in dangerous areas.  This type of pressure would eventually lead to the Crusader goal.

In the 33rd minute of the match, the Crusaders won the ball in the midfield and immediately looked to go forward.  An early ball played into Sophomore Jordyn Ryfiak resulted in a creative flick into the Wildcat penalty area.  The flick was met by Anesini, who showed tremendous skill finishing the chance with a one touch effort.  The play could not have been more perfect as the goal was not only Anesini's first touch of the match, but her first career goal and game winner.

Needing a goal in the second half, Northwestern played a more direct style of soccer in hopes of getting in and behind the Crusader back line.  Although the Wildcats took 9 shots in the second half, they were unable to create a quality chance.  Kristen Manski only needed to make 4 saves on the night, as Tara Ellis, Shelby Oelschlager, Kelsey Draper, and Jennifer Fassbinder were able to sort out much of the Wildcat pressure before it became an issue.

Each of the five games the Crusaders have played in this season has been decided by just 1 goal.  The importance of this type of win cannot be understated, as the Crusaders now sit at 3-2-0 on the season.  Going forward, a close victory against a good side such as Northwestern will only help the Crusaders overcome challenges down the road.

Oakland 1, Michigan State 1
Sophomore defender Sarah Reynolds scored her first collegiate goal in Oakland's contest at Michigan State Thursday afternoon as the Golden Grizzlies battled to a 1-1 draw with the Spartans at DeMartin Soccer Complex.

Oakland had the statistical upper hand for the contest, posting advantages in shots (16-12) and shots on goal (10-4). The Golden Grizzlies' attack forced Michigan State goalkeeper Courtney Clem to make nine saves. On the other end, Oakland's Stephanie Bukovec tallied three stops in the contest.

Oakland out-shot the host Spartans with a 4-1 mark in shots on goal in the first half, but didn't have a tally to show for their efforts. That changed in the 61st minute, when Reynolds got on the end of a corner kick by Alice Palmer and a quick header-flick by Joan Sieja to give the Golden Grizzlies the 1-0 lead.

That advantage was short-lived, however, as Michigan State answered back just 1:05 later with a goal thanks to their own corner kick. The game featured 11 corner kicks, with four by Oakland.

In the span of six minutes early in the second half, Oakland ripped off a five-shot flurry, including three shots on goal. Meghan Reynolds and Kyla Kellermann had two shots apiece during the attack.

Wright State 0, Western Michigan 0
Wright State and Western Michigan combined for 52 shots on the night, but neither team could score a goal as the women's soccer match between the two teams ended in a scoreless tie Thursday night at Alumni Field.

The Broncos outshot the Raiders 14-5 in the first half, but the contest remained scoreless thanks to the WSU defense and five saves from senior goalkeeper Brooke McCurdy.  McCurdy recorded four more saves in the second half and one in the first overtime to end up with nine overall in posting her 17th career shutout and second straight this season.

Wright State finished with 21 shots overall, seven by senior forward Emilie Fillion and four from sophomore midfielder Kalee Thompson.  The Raiders looked to have the winning goal late in regulation on a kick by McCurdy, but no player touched the ball after her kick, nullifying the goal.