Valpo Gets Past Oakland
Valparaiso women’s soccer received a pair of two-goal performances Thursday night as the Beacons rolled past Oakland 4-1 at Brown Field.
Sophomores Kiara Desiderio and Martha Goddard each scored twice for Valpo, helping the Beacons improve to 3-4-1 on the season.
Valparaiso wasted little time getting started. Desiderio won possession in the attacking third and found herself with the ball inside the penalty area before finishing from close range in the sixth minute to give the Beacons a 1-0 lead.
Oakland answered less than 10 minutes later when Lilly Boebel scored directly from a corner kick to tie the match at 1-1.
Goddard put Valpo back in front before halftime. After an Oakland defender headed away a cross, Goddard won the loose ball and fired a shot from about 15 yards that found the right side of the net. The goal sent Valparaiso into halftime leading 2-1.
The Beacons then took control during the second half.
Desiderio struck again in the 68th minute. Daisy Boardman delivered a cross into the box, where Desiderio battled between two Oakland defenders before recovering possession and finishing from 12 yards for her second goal of the night.
Just four minutes later, Goddard completed her own brace. Brylie Walos connected with Lily Printz, who delivered a long ball over the top of Oakland’s defense. Goddard ran onto it and beat the goalkeeper from the top of the penalty area to make it 4-1.
Goddard’s two goals give her a team-leading five this season, while Desiderio is close behind with four. It was Goddard’s second brace of the season and the third two-goal performance of Desiderio’s collegiate career.
Desiderio and Goddard became the first pair of Valparaiso teammates to each score twice in the same match since Kendall Brown and Sarah Jewell accomplished the feat against Lewis in October 2006.
Valparaiso finished with a 15-14 advantage in shots and put nine attempts on goal compared with five for Oakland. Adria Schultz made one save in the first half, while Salange Bell stopped all three shots on goal she faced after halftime.
The four-goal performance matched Valpo’s season high and marked the most goals the Beacons have scored in 20 all-time meetings with Oakland.
Valparaiso now turns its attention to its final nonconference match of the season. The Beacons host Southern Indiana Sunday at 1 p.m. at Brown Field for Senior Day.