McLean County Times

Illinois State University's soccer program has announced the promotion of Peyton Willie to assistant coach. Head coach Raleigh DeRose confirmed the decision on Tuesday, highlighting Willie's two-year tenure as a graduate assistant.

"I am so unbelievably happy to promote Peyton into this role," said DeRose. "She is a talented and loyal young coach with a wonderful work ethic and care for players. Her experience playing at a high level matched with her ability to connect with athletes makes her a great fit for the team. I look forward to working alongside Peyton and growing this program together."

While pursuing her master's degree in sports administration at Illinois State, Willie has been responsible for overseeing the soccer program's operational needs during games and training sessions over the past two seasons.

Expressing gratitude for her new role, Willie stated, "I am very thankful to Coach Raleigh for her confidence in my abilities and I look forward to continuing to work alongside her. I am appreciative and fired up to continue working with this terrific group of student athletes. I have been really fortunate to be a part of this team who has experienced so much growth over the past couple of years and I am excited to see what we can achieve next. Roll Birds!"

Willie joined Illinois State after playing at Illinois, where she made an impact as both a player and support staff member before medically retiring from play. During her freshman year in 2018, she appeared in 19 matches, scoring one goal against Northern Illinois while tying a school record for assists by an Illinois freshman in that game.

Following her playing career, Willie spent two years assisting the Director of Operations at Illinois before graduating in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management.

Coach DeRose aims to build on last year's achievements when she led the Redbirds back into the MVC Tournament after three years. The team achieved notable success by defeating No.6 UNI 1-0 as the first No.7 seed ever to win at the MVC women's soccer tournament.

The upcoming season holds promise as more than 60 percent of last year's goal-scoring lineup returns, including leading scorer Eiley Henderson who was selected for the All-MVC Freshman team.

For further updates on Illinois State athletics or ticket information, fans are encouraged to visit GoRedbirds.com or use the Illinois State Redbirds App.