McLean County Times

Illinois State University’s women’s soccer team will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to face top-seeded Drake in the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) tournament on Thursday. The match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.

The Redbirds reached the semifinals after a 2-1 overtime win against Southern Illinois. Sophomore Chloe Cline scored both goals, marking her first collegiate brace with goals in the 59th and 93rd minutes. According to Illinois State Athletics, “Cline became the first player since former Redbird Kate Del Fava to record a postseason brace. Del Fava tallied two goals in a 4-3 victory over Missouri State in the first round of the MVC tournament in 2019.”

This upcoming game will be the 29th meeting between Illinois State and Drake. The Redbirds have a slight edge in the series with a record of 13-12-3. Earlier this season, Illinois State secured a 1-0 home win over Drake at Adelaide Street Field, with senior Jade Rehberger scoring late to clinch victory. This was Illinois State’s first win against Drake since 2019. On the road in Des Moines, Illinois State has an 8-7-2 record but has not won there since 2016.

Drake enters the semifinal after winning back-to-back games against Evansville and Southern Illinois to claim the MVC regular-season title, which granted them a bye into this round and hosting rights for Thursday’s match.

Lindsey Horner leads Drake as head coach for her eighteenth season. Under her leadership, “the Bulldogs have earned four regular-season titles and reached three MVC Championship Games.”

Senior forward Eve Blakely is Drake’s leading scorer with eight goals this season—second most in the conference—and was named to the All-MVC First Team as announced by league officials on Wednesday.

Tickets and additional information about Illinois State Athletics can be found through GoRedbirds.com or via their official app.