EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville sophomore forward Chrysta Vasquez's fifth-minute goal helped the homestanding Purple Aces to a 1-1 draw against defending Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Valparaiso on Thursday night at UE's Arad McCutchan Stadium.
Off a corner kick, Vasquez (Las Vegas, Nev./Coronado) gathered in a loose ball on top of the six-yard box and buried it into the back of the net for her first collegiate goal to give UE a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. UE would maintain the lead for the next 30-plus minutes, until Valparaiso was able to equalize on a corner kick of its own on a header by Chase Ray in the 37th minute.
In the second half, both offenses opened up, but both goalkeepers were up to the task to keep the scoreline tied 1-1. In the 69th minute, it was Valpo's Nikki Coryell coming up with the big save, as she stopped UE freshman forward Taylor Johnson's (Evansville, Ind./Reitz) shot attempt on a breakaway to keep the match tied at one. Then, in the 83rd minute, it was UE senior goalkeeper Myia Danek (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg) playing the hero, as she stopped Valpo's Aubrey Ramey on a breakaway attempt to keep the match level.
Johnson led UE's offensive attack with a pair of shots on the night, while three different Valparaiso players fired two shots each.
With the draw, Evansville sees its record go to 0-3-5 overall and 0-0-2 in the MVC. Valparaiso, meanwhile, moves to 4-2-3 overall and 0-0-1 in the Valley. Evansville will now hit the road for a pair of MVC matches, beginning on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when UE travels to Murray, Kentucky to take on the Murray State Racers. Sunday's match can be seen live on ESPN+.
