Brown Scores in First Career Start as Men’s Soccer Blanks IUPUI

Brown Scores in First Career Start as Men’s Soccer Blanks IUPUI

Making just his second appearance since gaining eligibility from the NCAA, junior Alex Brown (MayPen, Jamaica / Glenmuir [Cincinnati State]) scored the match-winner on Monday night, lifting the Valparaiso University men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over IUPUI in nonconference action in Indianapolis.

How It Happened

• Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Nacho Miras (Ubeda, Spain / Nuestra Semora del Pilar) made a diving save going to his right on a 26^th-minute penalty kick, and contained the rebound. He got his right hand on it to make the stop, then alertly scooped it up to prevent a follow-up try.
• In the 32^nd minute, IUPUI keeper Tyler Shanahan went to his right to come up with the save as Valpo junior Rafael Mentzingen (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / Bryan) tried to go near post.
• A powerful boot by sophomore Adan Garcia (Dallas, Texas / Episcopal School of Dallas) from way out marked Valpo’s best chance of the half. Shanahan notched a nifty save, getting his left hand on it for his most impressive play of the first half.
• Valpo (4-4-1) controlled the majority of the possession and opportunities prior to halftime, but Shanahan helped keep the match scoreless with a strong effort in goal. Valpo outshot IUPUI (0-8) before the break 11-4 and led shots on goal 6-1.
• In the 51^st minute, Brown put the Crusaders ahead with a one-touch goal inside the right post on a cross from Chris Villalobos (Richardson, Texas / Episcopal School of Dallas). The shot came from seven yards out. The sequence begin with a corner kick from Garcia, and both Villalobos and Garcia received assists.
• Valpo maintained the majority of the possession for the remainder of the match, eventually securing the road victory.

Inside the Match

• Brown’s goal was his first of the season, as he became the ninth different Crusader to record a goal this year. Since the start of the 2016 season, 17 different Crusaders have scored goals.
• Brown played just seven minutes in his season debut on Saturday against Central Arkansas, and Tuesday marked his first career start.
• This marked Valpo’s first shutout of the season and the first clean sheet of Miras’ career.
• Garcia moved into sole possession of the team lead with his seventh point of the year. He also has a team-high three assists. Garcia, only a sophomore, has five assists in his Valpo career.
• Villalobos picked up his second assist of the year and the third of his career.
• The Crusaders outshot the Jaguars 23-5 and outdid the opposition in shots on goal 11-2.
• Miras picked up a pair of saves, boosting his season total to 35.
• The Crusaders are no stranger to getting it done away from home, as this marked their fourth road victory of the campaign.
• None of Valpo’s nine fixtures this year have featured a margin larger than one goal.

Thoughts from Head Coach Mike Avery

“It was a good win tonight and I was very pleased with our players’ performance. It’s easy to look at records or stats and assume something about a team, but the reality is that winning in college soccer is hard and winning on the road is doubly hard. IUPUI is a young team that plays very hard and is very well coached, so their record isn’t a true reflection of their quality. They earned a PK against the run of play early in the game, and had that scored, it could have been a long night for us.”

“I thought our possession was very good, as was our ability to create chances on goal. The IUPUI goalkeeper made several tremendous saves and they played a deep block defensively, so even though we didn’t score more goals, that doesn’t bother me tonight. We are most excited about a shutout as that has been a focus for us.”

Up Next

The Crusaders will return to Missouri Valley Conference action as they visit Missouri State on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT. The match will air on The Valley on ESPN3 with links to live audio and stats available on ValpoAthletics.com.