Senior Diana Puckett scored with a little less than seven minutes left in the game to help the Redbirds even up the score on their way to a 1-1 tie with Iowa State.
The Cyclones started the scoring about five minutes into the second half when Kate Kirwan headed in a shot off an Iowa State corner kick. Then the Birds fought back with a run by sophomore Joyce Kleinheinz in the 82nd minute. She drove the ball down the field but her shot hit the post and Puckett was there to put in the rebound for the only Illinois State goal of the contest.
It was nice that we scored a goal and it was nice that we came in and with seven minutes left we did something, head coach Pete Kowall said. The run by Joyce was excellent. I thought we created good opportunities from the beginning, but we just didnt score when we should have in the first 20 minutes.
Kleinheinz earned her first collegiate assist and point. Puckett now has two goals on the season, which ties her with junior Michelle Brumbaugh. Brumbaugh and Puckett are the only two Redbirds who have scored this season.
Injuries also played a part in Illinois States performance. Sheila Bryant, a key reserve for Illinois State, suffered a broken leg in the Purdue game last weekend and Heather Forsyth, who has been a staple in the backfield for the Redbirds, is also out with a leg injury.
Without Heather today we got a little thin in the back and we probably should have done some other things, Kowall said, but I felt like we had a rhythm back there. It was kind of tough and now without Sheila, were going to have to train some players in other positions to get that going.
Illinois State, which now owns a 2-2-2 record, will be back in action on Sunday as they travel to Chicago to face Loyola at 1 p.m.
