Sophomore defender Joyce Kleinheinz scored on a rebound in the 37th minute of play to give the Illinois State womens soccer team a 1-0 win over Drury. Illinois States 4-0 Valley record puts them atop the standings with Drake, which also owns a 4-0 record in the Valley.
Drurys a good team and they play a different formation than what were used to, head coach Pete Kowall said. They had a few good chances and we had some that we missed too, but we got one in and that gave us the win.
With her second goal of the season, Kleinheinz helped the Birds to their third straight win and a 7-4-2 overall record. She is now tied with junior Michelle Brumbaugh for the Redbird lead in points (6) this season.
Illinois States defense prevented the Panthers from taking a shot on goal in the second half and allowed just two in the game and five shots overall. Goalkeeper Allison Farrington earned her seventh shutout of the season.
The Redbird defense already has a few national rankings under its belt. As of October 12, Farrington, the only senior in the top ten, is ranked No. 8 in the nation in goals against average at 0.464. And ISU is tied for 16th in the nation in shutout percentage at 0.58.
The Redbirds square off with SMS at 1 p.m. Sunday in Springfield, Mo. The Bears, who are 5-7-3, defeated Northern Iowa 1-0 on Friday.
