Island Soccer Pro

Achievements

League Honors

Sophomore goalkeeper Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College) and classmate Omar Lawrence (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) have been honored with national and league honors this week following an impressive two-win week for the Valparaiso men’s soccer team.

Campbell was named to College Soccer News National Team of the Week, allowing only one goal to Butler last Tuesday while shutting out then #7 Michigan State on Thursday. He stopped 11 shots overall.

Lawrence was named the Horizon League Co-Defensive Player of the Week as he anchored the Crusader defense in front of Campbell while playing the hero against the Spartans, sending home the game-winner in the 57th minute.

The Crusaders return to action Wednesday night with a battle against Northwestern before returning to Brown Field for their home-opener Friday night against former Mid-Continent Conference foe Western Illinois. Game starts are 9:30 pm and 7:00 pm CT, respectively. Live stats will be available for both matches at ValpoAthletics.com.

-Valpo Men’s Soccer-

All- Great Lakes Region Team

Valparaiso men’s soccer player Omar Lawrence (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) was named to the NSCAA/Continental Tires All-Great Lakes Region Third Team on Wednesday.

The sophomore defender was a vital piece in the Crusaders lock-down backline, anchoring a unit that allowed only 17 goals – the fourth-fewest in program history – and finished 31st in the nation with a .81 goals against average.

“All of our guys recognize that every individual award is, in reality, a team award, and I am happy for all the players that they are gaining that type of recognition as they have worked very hard and are certainly deserving,” Crusader head coach Mike Avery said. “Omar is a tremendous player for us, a tough and tenacious defender, and a leader both on the field and in the locker room. Omar is a great representative to stand up for the team.”

Lawrence didn’t shoot often, but when he did it counted. His lone goal came in the 57th minute against #7 Michigan State as the Crusaders upset the Spartans, 1-0, on their home turf for the second time in two years.

He is the fifth Crusader to be named to the team and the first since 2011, when Stefan Antonijevic was named to the First Team and Wei Ming Wong and Kyle Zobeck were named to the Third Team. He was one of five Horizon League student-athletes to be named to the three teams.

Lawrence adds another trophy to his collection as he was named Second-Team All-Horizon League this year and was on the All-Freshman Team a year ago. He was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week following his performance against Michigan State as well.

All League Honors

The Valparaiso men’s soccer team had three players honored with Horizon League postseason awards on Monday.

Senior midfielder Zev Taublieb (Malibu, Calif./Agoura) and sophomore defenseman Omar Lawrence (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) were both named Second-Team All-League selections, while freshman midfielder Ramone Howell (Portmore, Jamaica/Jamaica College) was named to the All-Freshman team.

Taublieb, the Crusaders’ captain, is second on the Crusaders in points with eight and is tied for second in goals with three and recorded two assists. Two of his goals were game-winners, the first against Loyola in overtime on Sept. 23. His other came in the crazy comeback win against Wright State on Oct. 10, to put Valpo up 3-2 in the 79th minute. He has started all 17 games that he has played in.

Lawrence was a key component of a stingy Crusaders defense that has only let up 17 goals in 18 games. His lone goal came in the Crusaders’ historic upset over then-#7 Michigan State in East Lansing on Sept. 11. He collects his second postseason league award, as he was named to the All-Freshman team last year.

Howell made an immediate impact on the field for Valpo, starting 17 of the team’s 18 games in the midfield, scoring two goals and recording one assist. He is the seventh Crusader to receive All-Freshman team honors in the last four years.

Men's Soccer Captain

With the start of the regular season approaching quickly, Valparaiso men's soccer head coach Mike Avery announced on Monday the program's captains for the 2015 campaign: senior Jordan Aidoud and junior Omar Lawrence.

With just three seniors on this year's team, the choices of Aidoud and Lawrence as captains instill leaders on either side of the ball in the integral position for the squad. Entering his final year, Aidoud has been a regular in each of his first three seasons and has been an offensive force on the pitch, leading Valpo last season in goals, assists and points.

Meanwhile, Lawrence has helped anchor the Crusader back line throughout his first two years at Valpo. The junior was an NSCAA Third Team All-Great Lakes Region selection last year for his work on defense, as the Crusaders surrendered just 14 goals in the 17 matches he started.

NSCAA All Region

The Valparaiso University men’s soccer team had a pair of players honored Thursday as the NSCAA released its postseason All-Region squads, as juniors Omar Lawrence (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) and Isaiah Madrid (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado [FGCU]) both were named Third Team All-Great Lakes Region honorees.

Lawrence repeated as a Third Team All-Great Lakes Region selection for the second straight year after anchoring the Crusader back line again in 2015. In the 14 games he started prior to suffering an injury, Lawrence helped a Valpo defense which surrendered just 11 goals in the 14 fixtures, posting seven shutouts and a 0.71 goals against average. Among the games Lawrence started on defense were shutouts of nationally-ranked Western Michigan and Omaha sides.

In his first season as a Crusader, Madrid joined Lawrence as a Third Team All-Region honoree for his work on the attack. The junior paced Valpo with five goals and 12 points on the season, ranking seventh in the league in goals scored. Four of Madrid’s five goals were of the match-winning variety to lead the Horizon League, including match-winners at nationally-ranked Western Michigan and at Milwaukee in league play.

Defensive Player of the Week

Valparaiso University men’s soccer defender Omar Lawrence (Kingston, Jamaica/Excelsior) was named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week today after anchoring the Crusaders’ back line in a pair of clean sheets last week.

The center back has anchored the back line during Valpo’s current five-match shutout streak, which has tied a program record. Lawrence played every minute during last week’s two clean sheets, as the Crusaders shut out #23 Omaha – their second shutout of a ranked team in a week’s time – and Milwaukee. The Crusaders are currently sitting at 552 consecutive minutes without letting up a goal, just six minutes away from tying the program record.

Last week’s two shutouts give the Crusaders six for the season, tying them for sixth in the nation. Valpo also ranks among the top-10 in the nation in goals against average (0.55) as well.

This is the second time Lawrence has been named Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week in his career, the first coming last season. Lawrence and the rest of the Crusaders return to the pitch Saturday night at Wright State, with kickoff slated for 6 p.m. CT.