VALPARAISO | Valparaiso was nursing a one-goal lead over Lake Central late in the first half on Tuesday night when the Vikings took control with a flurry of activity.
Lauren Reineke and Andrea Violanti scored back-to-back goals within 30 seconds of each other to pull away from the Times No. 4 Indians and send the No. 2 Vikings to a 6-1 Senior Night victory at Viking Arena.
Reineke and Violanti finished with two goals apiece as the Vikings improved to 10-3-1 overall and 5-1 in the Duneland Athletic Conference.
"We all played really well tonight, and it felt great to come away with this victory, especially for the seniors," Violanti said. "It was comforting to get the three-goal lead. We didn't relax, but it allowed us to try some other things."
Reineke got the Vikings on the board in the ninth minute and then added her second goal when the junior took a pass from senior Elyse Horb and split a pair of defenders to give Valparaiso a 2-0 lead.
With Lake Central reeling, the Vikings regained possession and Violanti converted a shot she fired from more than 25 yards away from the goal, giving the Vikings a 3-0 halftime lead.
Reineke capped her special night by accepting an invitation to Valparaiso's upcoming homecoming dance at halftime.
"Once I got that first goal, I told the seniors that it was for them," Reineke said. "I wish it would've been a senior who scored, but they kept saying how much they wanted to win on Senior Night, and it was important to be able to help out."
Shannon Freedom put the Indians (9-5) on the board late in the second half, scoring off a penalty kick. Valparaiso senior Kaylee Pullins then added two goals in the final 10 minutes to send a large Valparaiso crowd home happy.
"We told the girls that this was a special night, that all these people showed up to watch," Valparaiso coach Rob Cespesdes said. "We wanted to give them something to celebrate."
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