Coming off a 2-0 shutout over Wisconsin-Green Bay last Sunday, the Illinois State soccer team will look to improve upon its 7-3 mark when the Redbirds travel to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern on Sunday.
Illinois State heads into Sundays matchup after a split last weekend. The Redbirds lost to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in double overtime 4-3 on Friday then came from behind to notch a victory against Wisconsin-Green Bay, Sunday.
The Wildcats, 2-7-1 and 1-4, are in the midst of a four-game Big Ten losing streak with losses to Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Purdue. While losing to Wisconsin 2-0, each of Northwesterns losses to conference members were by only one goal.
Northwestern marks the third and final Big Ten opponent the Birds play this season. ISU faced off against Purdue in the 2000 Boilermaker Challenge Cup in early September, losing to the Boilermakers 2-0. ISU then hosted Illinois on Sept. 22 and dropped the Fighting Illini 2-0 at Adelaide Street Field.
Sophomore Annie Wayland continues to lead the Redbirds in goals and points in 2000. The 1999 Valley Freshman of the Year has 11 goals in ten games with 22 points and currently leads the league in both those categories. She only needs four more goals this season to break the Illinois State single-season goal record that she set last season when she scored 14.
While the Redbirds have played fairly well this season against Big Ten schools, according to head coach Pete Kowall Northwesterns record is not indicative of what kind of team it is.
I think Northwesterns record does not begin to explain what kind of team it is or what it is capable of, Kowall said. They have good movement off the ball, good defense and we will just need to go out and give it to them.
The weather will be an interesting factor on Sunday, Kowall continued. It will be cold and the team hasnt played in cold conditions yet this year so we will have to really be on top of our game from the time the whistle blows.
