Men's Soccer to Cap Exhibition Season against Valparaiso

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The IPFW Mastodons will face off against the Valparaiso Crusaders in the teams second of two exhibition matches in preparation for the 2013 season, this one as part of the Shindigz National Soccer Festival.

Opponent: Valparaiso Crusaders
When: Saturday, August 24 | 5 p.m.
Where: Fort Wayne, Ind. | Hefner Soccer Complex (2,500)
All-Time Series: Valparaiso leads 14-3
Live Stats: Sidearm Live Stats

ABOUT IPFW

The Mastodons come into their second exhibition match of the 2013 season after falling 2-0 to Ohio State on Tuesday, August 20. In the game, IPFW was out-shot 20-8, with freshman goalkeeper Raphael Kotzock picking up eight saves in 90 minutes of action.

The Mastodons return four starters, - Kyle Ackerman, Corey Tom, Jose Rodriguez, and Austin West - that combined to score 11 goals a year earlier. Also back for the team are six other players that started at least one game a season earlier.

The 'Dons will be breaking in new goalkeeper Raphael Kotzock, a 6-7 freshman from Munich, Germany, as well as a number of defenders, as all four primary starters from last season in the position will not play in 2013. among the veterans looking to add experience to the defensive side are juniors Scott Williams and Jacob Gerondale.

ABOUT VALPARAISO

The Crusaders come into their 2013 opener with seven starters and 16 total letterwinners returning from a 6-9-5 team last season. Included in the returners is 2012 leading scorer Jordan Aidoud who scored four goals with three assists as a freshman.

Todd Vervynct returns for his senior year after scoring three times with three assists. Of the six players that scored exactly six goals last season for the Crusaders, two - Charles Barden and Nick Suker - return.

The team will look to break in a new goalkeeper, as the Crusaders lost starting goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck, who played all but 114 total minutes last season.

ALL-TIME SERIES

The Valparaiso Crusaders have dominated the recent meetings against IPFW, winning each of the last 14 times the teams have met, and have given up just two goals in the last seven series contests.

IPFW started strong in the series, winning the first four meetings, 3-0 in 1984, 2-1 in 1985, and 3-0 in 1986. In 1987 the Crusaders picked up their first win, a 5-0 shutout in Valparaiso, and have not looked back since.

The squads met six more times when IPFW was a member of NCAA Division II, and rekindled the series in 2004, and have played every year since, with the exception of 2010. The Valparaiso defense has been stout since 1987, as IPFW has scored just four goals in the last 14 meetings between the teams - with IPFW falling 3-1 a season ago in Fort Wayne.

~ Feel the Rumble ~

Purdue University Fort Wayne Athletics

Men's Soccer to Cap Exhibition Season against Valparaiso

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