NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer program has added sophomore transfer Valentina Duque to the roster, announced Thursday by head coach Brad Silvey. The Bogota, Colombia native comes to Illinois State after completing her freshman year at Mississippi State where she spent the 2016 season recovering a torn ACL suffered while with the Colombian U-20 National Team.
"Val is a remarkable addition to our fall roster. She is a dedicated, committed and passionate student-athlete that will help push our program forward," said Silvey. "Her experience while playing at the highest levels in Colombia will be incredibly influential. I am certain that Val is an excellent fit for our program, culture and institution and we are very excited for her to join our Redbird family." Â Â
As a member of the Colombian U-20 National Team, she was one of the youngest players named to the squad that finished third in the South American Cup/World Cup Qualifiers. She was also a member of the Colombian U-17 Gol Star Team 2013-15. Under head coach Diego Rodriguez, Duque and her team won back-to-back Elite titles for the U-17 Gol Star squad in 2014 and 2015. She also won a title for the Bogota state team in 2014, while finishing runner up three times.
Valentina Duque is the first Colombian National Team member to join the Illinois State soccer program. She joins a long line of other National Team members from across the globe, including Canada and Serbia, that have played at Illinois State in its 21-year program history.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
