VALPARAISO, Ind. – The Illinois State women's soccer team (9-6-2, 3-2 MVC) defeated the Crusaders of Valparaiso (8-8-0, 2-3 MVC) Wednesday night on Brown Field, 1-0.
"This was a great response for our team tonight," said head coach Brad Silvey. "To win on the road in the Valley is always a challenging task. Our first half performance was tremendous and ended up being the difference in the contest."
The Redbirds wasted no time with their offensive dominance to start the match, outshooting the Crusaders 10-3 in the first half. After a cross by freshman Jessica Denney, senior Emily Dickman gave the Redbirds the 1-0 lead after battling a defender inside the six and finding the back of the net in the 9th minute. ISU took that lead into the halftime.
The second half proved to be a battle in the midfield, with the Redbirds only getting two shots in the second half and the Crusaders getting five. Sophomore keeper Haley Smith stayed solid between the pipes, tallying five saves and earning her eighth shutout of the season. Illinois State finished the match with 12 shots to Valpo's eight, and 10 corner kicks with Valpo not taking a single one.
"Looking ahead to Drake, we have plenty of areas to discuss and address before the weekend," said Silvey. "We will quickly get to work and have the girls prepared and up for our final regular-season game at Adelaide Street Field."
The Redbirds continue conference play at home Sunday to close out Homecoming week. ISU will face Drake at 2 p.m. on Adelaide Street Field.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
