NORMAL, Ill. - After a win just one week ago over the Bears that secured a home play-in game, the Illinois State women's soccer couldn't defeat the same team, as the `Birds fell to Missouri State, 1-0, in the quarterfinal round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, Sunday afternoon at Adelaide Street Field.
The Redbirds close out the 2006 season 6-9-3 overall, 2-3-1 in Valley play. With the win, Missouri State improves to 10-8-2, 2-3-1 in the MVC and advances to the semi-final round of the tournament. The Bears will take on Drake at 5 p.m. at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb.
Illinois State head coach Pete Kowall, whose team started the year 3-4-2 in non-conference play, felt that wins earlier in the season might have helped his team later in the year.
"We never got momentum early in the season and I think that hurt us later in the year. If we could have won games earlier in the season and put more balls in the net, we would have built confidence and had positive energy throughout the season."
Five minutes into the game, Illinois State freshman Ammanda Wisniewski received a pass from a Redbird midfielder, controlling the ball and penetrating into the box. She was met by MSU goalkeeper Jackie Jasper, who smothered the ball before Wisniewski could set up for a shot on goal.
Missouri State scored the lone goal of the game in the tenth minute (10:32) as Samantha Aguilar exchanged a give-and-go with Bear forward Chelsea Anderson. Aguilar dribbled down the sideline and sent a cross that found forward Kate Blair at the far post. Blair headed a shot past diving Redbird keeper Andrea Shaw for the game's only score. Shaw finished with one save on the day, playing all 90 minutes in goal for the `Birds.
The `Birds continued their offensive attack late into the first half, with Wisniewski passing the ball to a streaking Mel Routledge in the 32nd minute. Routledge, a sophomore, dribbled towards the goal on a breakaway and fired a shot. Her ball was deflected by Jasper, who punched Routledge's shot over the goal, adding to her total of 14 saves for the day.
Routledge continued to harass the Missouri State defense in the second half, receiving a pass from Bethany Russ and eluding a Bear defender. Routledge took a shot that was headed for the upper corner of the MSU goal, but Jasper again punched the shot over the goal and away from danger.
Illinois State booted 25 shots in the play-in game, 14 of which were on goal. The tenacious Redbird defense held the Bears to just six shots, with two on goal. The `Birds also out-cornered MSU, 9-1.
Junior Yvonne Northover and senior Meghan Boler led ISU, each taking five shots. Routledge and Russ added three apiece for the `Birds.
Kowall was disappointed that his team had the opportunities to score but couldn't convert them for a goal.
"Unfortunately, that's been the story of our season," said Kowall. "As a coaching staff, we just haven't been able to figure it out but that will definitely be the focus of upcoming practices in the winter and on into the spring."
