Golden Goal Leads #14 Butler Past Valparaiso
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- The defensive play of senior
Conner Burt helped keep #14 Butler in a position
to win its Horizon League showdown with Valparaiso. His
“Golden Goal” with less than two minutes remaining in
the second overtime lifted the Bulldogs to a 1-0 victory at the
Butler Bowl on Friday, Oct. 1.
Burt ended a scoreless deadlock at 108:01 with a shot to the lower
right hand corner of the net. The decisive play developed
when senior Ben Sippola delivered a short corner kick, picked up a
return ball from the middle of the pack and then served a cross
from 20 yards out. Burt finished the play with a header past
Valparaiso goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz.
It was Burt’s first goal of the season! The game-winner
helped the Bulldogs (8-0-0, 3-0-0 Horizon League) remain one of
just two unbeaten, untied teams in the nation, while dropping
Valparaiso to 6-2-1 (1-2-0 Horizon League).
“Championship teams find a way to win, when it’s not
your best game,” said Butler head coach Kelly Findley after
the thrilling finish. “I thought we had spells where we
played very well, and then we had some moments where we
faded.”
“Valparaiso is a very good team, and they’re very hard
to play against,” added the Butler coach.
Burt’s first contribution came at the defensive end of the
field, where he and his teammates helped Butler record its fifth
shutout in eight matches. Goalkeeper Fabian Knopfler went the
distance in net and picked up his 15th career shutout, while
improving to 8-0-0 on the season. He had three saves in the
match, all in the second half.
“Our backs were incredibly steady,” noted
Findley. “Our quality play put us in a position to win
the match.”
Butler had a 15-13 advantage in shots, though both teams finished
with three shots on goal. Butler’s first two shots on
goal came in the first half. Senior Jacob Capito paced the
Bulldogs with four shots, including one on goal.
The Bulldogs will continue their homestand with a non-league match
against Evansville on Tuesday, Oct. 5. That match is slated
for 4 p.m. (ET) at the Butler Bowl.
