NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team (6-5-2, 0-1 MVC) continues conference play when they host the Purple Aces of Evansville (4-8-0, 0-2 MVC) Saturday night at 7 pm on Adelaide Street Field. The Redbirds defeated the Purple Aces twice last season on the way to winning the MVC regular-season title and tournament title.
Fans can follow along with the match via live stats and the Redbird soccer Twitter account, @Redbird_Soccer, for in-game updates.
Evansville – What You Need to Know
The Purple Aces are currently on a four-game losing streak, including back-to-back conference losses. They dropped the match against Loyola, 2-3, at home, on Sept. 22 and are coming off a 1-3 loss at Northern Iowa Sept. 30. Senior Montana Portenier and freshman Jayme-Lee Hunter lead Evansville with three goals and two assists each, while junior Sara Osinski follows closely with two goals, three assists, and leads the team with 19 shots. Freshman goalkeeper Michaela Till holds down the Purple Aces defense between the pipes with 47 saves and one shutout on the season. Â
Last Time Out
The Redbirds defeated the Flames of UIC, 4-1, Wednesday night on Adelaide Street Field. They started the first half with their usual domination of offensive possession, outshooting UIC 11-3. Senior Emily Dickman got the Redbirds on the board early with a shot from outside the six, dribbling through defenders and launching the ball into the upper 90 of the far post. Illinois State carried the 1-0 lead into halftime. The Redbirds came out hot in the second half, getting multiple shots off early. They conceded a goal in the 70th minute to tie the game 1-1 but a strong run down the field by sophomore Alix McArthur was the spark ISU needed to push their offense. After McArthur was able to push down the field for a long ball played deep into UIC's territory, she earned a corner kick for the 'birds that would change the game. In the same 70th minute as UIC's goal, senior Kelli Zickert played the corner kick to the top of the 18 for Dickman, who found the back of the net with a rocket of a shot. The Redbirds kept the 2-1 lead until the 78th minute when Zickert was able to find the back of the net with a rebound shot off a blocked shot by sophomore Mikayla Unger to give ISU the 3-1 lead. The scoring did not stop there. Unger joined the party in the 81st minute when she also found the back of the net off a cross by freshman Jessica Denney into the 18. The goal gave the Redbirds the 4-1 lead that won them the match.\
Promotions
Saturday night will be the team's annual pink game. They will be in pink jerseys and encourage all fans to wear pink and participate in a halftime photo on the field that will be in the shape of a ribbon. The concession stand will be offering $1 pink hot chocolate and Illinois State's Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will be handing out pink ribbons before the match. ISU student Cadence Niccum will be the team's honorary captain and present the game ball. Niccum is a member of the Redline Express dance team and a cancer survivor.
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