A headed strike midway through the second half and a stunning lack of offensive production doomed the Falcons soccer team to a ninth straight game without a victory.

Valparaiso midfielder Stefan Antonijevic towered over senior defender Tyler Deal to nod home a corner, giving the Crusaders the only goal they would need as they defeated the Falcons 2-0.

‘The margin between winning and loosing with this team is very narrow,’ coach Eric Nichols said. ‘If we make a mistake and give away anything, we are not built to come back from that.’

One reason the Falcons are finding such a tough time of it offensively is an injury to scoring leader Cameron Hepple, who has missed the last four games.

‘Cameron is a great player,’ Nichols said. ‘He is especially good in the final third, which is where we are hurting the most.’

But Nichols will not use the playmaker’s absence as an excuse for his team’s lack of scoring.

‘We have to figure it out, we have the players here to do it even missing Cameron,’ Nichols said. ‘We just have to find them.’ It was also a tough-luck day for Falcon keeper Jeff Smoker, who gave up two goals; he couldn’t do much to prevent either.

After conceding the go-ahead goal early in the second half, the Falcons committed numbers forward in attack in hopes of equalizing.

But with players forward, the Falcons back line was left exposed, and a poor tackle by Deal in the box led to a second goal for Valpo from the penalty spot.

‘It’s a bit frustrating, but we have to keep our heads high,’ the Falcon net minder said. ‘We keep making these little mistakes and that is what is hurting us.

‘Obviously because I am not getting much work, our defense is doing its job.’

With the loss, the Falcons fall to 1-8-2, losing every game since the season opener against Marshall.

But there may be some good news after the loss for the Falcons.

Hepple will see a doctor tomorrow to evaluate the progress of his injured groin, who may clear him to play next Friday when the Falcons travel to Buffalo to face the conference rival Bulls.

The 2-0 loss to the Crusaders means the Falcons have gone 266 minutes without scoring a goal.