Joe Klausner Associate Athletic Director/Academics and Life Skills | Illinois State University Athletics Website
Joe Klausner Associate Athletic Director/Academics and Life Skills | Illinois State University Athletics Website
Illinois State Soccer (1-0-1, 0-0-0 MVC) will take its unblemished record on the road Sunday to face Illinois (2-0-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten). The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Demirjian Park and will be available on Big Ten Plus.
The Redbirds are unbeaten through two games of a season for the first time since 2018, following a 2-1 victory over Green Bay and a scoreless draw at Purdue Fort Wayne last week.
Sammi Cenek and Chloe Cline netted their first career goals in the win against Green Bay. Goalkeeper Madi Valenti made her first career start and recorded her first shutout in the match against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Thursday marks the 19th all-time meeting between Illinois State and Illinois, with Illinois leading the series 13-3-2. The teams did not meet in the regular season last year but played in preseason, resulting in a 2-0 win for Illinois. Illinois State last defeated Illinois in 2017 with a 2-0 victory at Adelaide Street Field but has never won in Champaign.
Sophomore Ava Watson was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after starting both matches and playing all 90 minutes. The Redbirds allowed just one goal over two games, led by Watson's defensive efforts. She is the first Redbird to earn this honor since Haley Smith in 2019.
Illinois State aims to remain unbeaten through three games of a season for the first time since 2014.
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