Five different players scored in the second half to lift the Illinois State soccer team to a 5-0 shutout over Ball State in womens soccer action, Friday, at Adelaide Street Field.
Annie Wayland started the Redbird scoring after a quiet first half. At the 50:07 mark, Wayland headed the ball between the posts off a pass from Sarah Moss to lift the Birds to a 1-0 lead. Twenty-two minutes later, Cristina Gutierrez scored an unassisted goal from the top of the goalbox and secured the lead for ISU.
Less than five minutes later, Diana Puckett notched her third goal of the year off a pass from Tiffany DeClark. In the last six minutes of play, Lindsay Freed and Kelly Mahan each scored their first goals of the season to guarantee the Redbird win.
ISU goalie Becky Feldmann made two saves on the day while Megan Swafford of BSU stayed busy, stopping 12 Redbird shots. Jen Sandenaw of Illinois State replaced Feldmann in goal the last ten minutes of regulation play.
Illinois State improves its record to 3-1 overall and Ball State suffered its first loss of the season ending the game with a 4-1 mark.
Head coach Pete Kowall of Illinois State said after the game he thought his team capitalized on key plays in the second half, which was good, but still needs to come ready to play in both halves.
Obviously we need to play the game in the first half, Kowall said. We created some good scoring opportunities in the first half but couldnt get the job done. As the game went on, we got better and more confident, but the longer you go without scoring, the more confident the other team gets.
Luckily for us, we got the job done in the second half, Kowall continued. But the team needs to learn how to come out early and play.
Next up for the Redbirds is their first Valley contest of the 2000 season as the Redbirds travel to Evansville, Ind., to take on the Purple Aces at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The two teams have shared the regular-season Valley crown the past two years and share a common rivalry that will be evident on Sunday.
Our goal for Sunday is to not talk a lot and go down there and give them the hardest game we have, Kowall said. Our motto will be to not give them the game. I want to be the first MVC team to go down there and win, and I think the players want that also so hopefully that will be the outcome.
