McLean County Times

Illinois State University senior Jade Rehberger has been named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Defender of the Week for women's soccer, according to an announcement from the conference office on September 16, 2025.

Rehberger is the third Illinois State Redbird to receive a weekly conference honor this season. She joins teammates Kaya Durkee, who was also recognized as Defender of the Week earlier in the season, and Rylann Law, who earned Freshman of the Week honors. This marks the third consecutive week that an Illinois State player has received an MVC weekly award.

This is Rehberger's second career MVC weekly honor. Her first came during her freshman year in 2022 when she was named Freshman of the Week.

Rehberger contributed significantly to Illinois State's defensive performance last week, helping secure back-to-back shutouts in draws against Eastern Illinois and Saint Louis. With these results, Illinois State now has five shutouts this season, equaling last year's total before conference play begins. The team leads the MVC in shutouts and ranks 17th nationally in this category.

Over their last six games, Illinois State's defense has allowed only one goal. This is the fewest goals conceded by the team over a six-game stretch since 2003.

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