NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team (7-5-2, 1-1 MVC) topped the Purple Aces of Evansville (4-9-0, 0-3 MVC), 3-0, Saturday night at Adelaide Street Field.
"We knew this was going to be a pivotal part of the season," said head coach Brad Silvey. The results speak for themselves, scoring seven goals over the past two games and allowing only one. We are playing really good soccer at a really good time in the season. I have to credit my assistant coaches for stepping up and taking over our set plays, that has definitely been a point of emphasis for us this season."
Offensive dominance was the story once again for Illinois State as the Redbirds limited Evansville to just 3 shots in the first half while they tallied 19 of their own. In the 7th minute, senior Kelli Zickert got the ball to freshman Sarah Lafayette outside the top of the 18. Lafayette was able to turn and beat two defenders and find the back of the net to give ISU an early 1-0 lead that they would take into halftime.
The second half was full of more Redbird offense, as they limited Evansville to an even smaller two shots on the half. In the 65th minute, Zickert found the back of the net off a corner kick to give the Redbirds a 2-0 lead. Lafayette tallied her second goal of the match in the 70th minute to secure the win for ISU. Sophomore Brittney Paganucci found Lafayette outside the top of the 18 again and she was able to dance around the Evansville defense and put the ball away.
Illinois State finished the match with 36 shots, compared the Evansville's five. The Redbird offense forced the Evansville keeper to make nine saves on the match, while sophomore Redbird keeper Haley Smith tallied two saves on the night between the pipes and earn her seventh shutout of the season. Seniors Emily Dickman and Zickert led the offense with eight shots a piece while Lafayette followed closely behind with six of her own. Eight other Redbirds contributed offensively, getting 14 shots off between them.
"For us, we need to stay focused and make sure we are not satisfied. We will continue to chase, continue to improve and keep getting better," said Silvey.
The Redbirds are back at Adelaide Street Field Wednesday, October 11 for a conference matchup against Loyola at 7 p.m. The Ramblers hold a 3-1 conference record and are coming off a 2-1 loss at home to conference foe Valparaiso.
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