McLean County Times

Illinois State University's soccer team will conclude its three-game home stand with a match against Eastern Illinois on Thursday evening. This game will be the Redbirds' final home contest in their non-conference schedule.

The matchup is the fourth this season for Illinois State against an Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) opponent. The Redbirds currently have a 2-1-0 record in those games. Historically, Illinois State leads the all-time series against Eastern Illinois 11-5-0 and holds a 6-3-0 advantage in games played at Adelaide Street Field. The last meeting between the two teams took place in 2023, when Illinois State won 1-0 in Decatur.

Illinois State comes into Thursday's game after a 1-0 loss to Loyola Chicago at Adelaide Street Field, which ended the team's three-game shutout win streak—the longest under head coach Raleigh DeRose.

Redshirt sophomore Madi Valenti made four saves in the first half of Sunday's game, tying her season high for saves in a half and marking the third time she has reached that number this year.

Freshman Rylann Law was named MVC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday after scoring her first collegiate brace. Law leads all freshmen with four goals scored and ranks third among all players.

Eastern Illinois arrives following a 2-0 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Sunday. The Panthers are coached by Dirk Bennett, who is in his third year as head coach after serving as an assistant since 2019.

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