Box Score

VALPARAISO, IN – The Valparaiso Crusaders scored two goals in the second half of action on Saturday night to defeat Detroit 2-0 at Brown Field.

Roby Del Giudice and Zack Stivers each had a goal against the Titans giving Valparaiso the victory on senior night. Detroit ends the regular season with an overall record of 8-8-2, including a 4-4 mark in the Horizon League.

The Crusaders (9-8-2, 2-6 Horizon) put pressure on Detroit throughout the game.  Valparaiso took 21 shots, including 14 in the second half compared to just 10 from Detroit. 

Valparaiso came out aggressive in the second half of play.  Stefan Antonijevic nearly put the Crusaders up 1-0 in the 51st minute of play, but senior Jacob Munchiando (Troy, Mich./Athens) came to the aid of Brandon Waterstradt (Dearborn Heights, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central) to record a team save keeping the game tied at 0-0.  Minutes later, Stivers had another chance to score for Valparaiso, but Waterstradt made a nice diving save for Detroit.

Senior Ken Simon (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) nearly scored a goal for the Titans at the 60 minute mark.  Simon dribbled the ball down the far side of the field and fired a shot from 20 yards out, but unfortunately for Detroit the ball bounced off the near side post keeping the game deadlocked at 0-0.

A big turning point in the game came late in the second half when sophomore Jeremy Stoychoff (Canton, Mich./Salem) picked up a red card for an aggressive slide tackle.  Stoychoff was removed from the field, which made Detroit play the rest of the way a man down.  Valparaiso seized the opportunity and put two goals on the scoreboard to earn the win.

The Titans still earn a trip into the Horizon League Tournament with the loss.  They will travel to Cleveland State on Tuesday as the five-seed to face the Vikings who end the year as the four-seed.  Return to detroittitans.com on Monday for the start time of the game.

To view the entire Horizon League Championship Bracket click here.