McLean County Times

Illinois State University's women's soccer team will begin their postseason in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) tournament on Sunday, hosting Southern Illinois at Adelaide Street Field. The match is set for 1 p.m. and will be available to watch on ESPN+.

The Redbirds secured the No. 4 seed in the tournament, which is their highest placement in five years. This marks the second straight season that Illinois State has earned a spot in the postseason, a feat last accomplished during the 2020-21 seasons. Last year, Illinois State made history as the first No. 7 seed—and lowest ever—to win a game at the MVC tournament with a 1-0 victory over UNI.

Illinois State ended its regular season with a record of 6-6-7 overall and went 3-2-4 in conference play. Their most recent game resulted in a 2-0 loss to Belmont.

Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Madi Valenti recorded two saves against Belmont, bringing her career total to 153 saves. She needs just two more saves to move into fifth place all-time for individual career saves at Illinois State.

This upcoming game will be the seventh meeting between Illinois State and Southern Illinois, with Illinois State holding a 4-1-1 advantage overall and remaining unbeaten against Southern Illinois at home. Earlier this season, Illinois State defeated Southern Illinois 2-0 with goals from sophomores Danica Key and Rylie Monohan.

Southern Illinois comes into Sunday's matchup after losing their regular-season finale to Drake, finishing with an overall record of 10-5-3 and going 4-4-1 in MVC play. Head coach Graeme Orr is leading the Salukis for his third season and has guided them to their highest win total in school history as well as back-to-back postseason appearances. Senior forward Dana Nadda leads Southern Illinois with six goals this season, ranking fourth among MVC players.

Tickets are available for purchase online at goredbirds.com, by contacting the Redbird Ticket Office at 432-8000, or at the gate before Sunday's match. The first 50 students attending will receive free entry.

"GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos, and more."