NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State sophomore Andrea Sherva was the first to find the net for the `Birds, and junior Carrie Schurr also scored, to lift the Redbirds to a 2-1 victory over the Butler Bulldogs in women's soccer pre-season action, Wednesday, at Adelaide Street Field.
Illinois State and Butler agreed to play in a modified format geared towards a scrimmage situation, playing three 30-minute periods, as opposed to a regular-game format of two, 45-minute halves.
Butler was the first to strike, scoring off a penalty kick in the sixth minute of the first period. Bulldog sophomore Angie Muir was fouled in the box by ISU goalie Andrea Shaw. Muir was subsequently awarded a penalty kick and snuck the shot past Shaw, finding the left side of the goal.
Scoring stalled until five minutes into the second period, as Redbird midfielder Sherva went one-on-one with Butler goalie Annalise Larkin. Sherva put the ball in the right side of the net from seven yards out as Larkin dove, trying to deflect Sherva's shot. This was Sherva's first shot and goal on the year, as the sophomore took only one shot in the entire 2005 season.
At the end of two periods, the score was tied at 1-1, though Illinois State led Butler in shots (10-6) and corner kicks (4-1).
Wasting no time, the `Birds came out of the second five-minute intermission and scored just 59 seconds into the third period (60:59). Illinois State junior transfer Katelyn Prorok found Schurr 10 yards in front of the north goal, as Schurr's shot soared over Butler goalie Megan Cappa's hands and into the back of the net. Schurr's goal broke the tie and was the final goal, resulting in the final score, 2-1.
Goalkeeping duties were evenly split for the `Birds as Shaw tallied 45:40 at the position and junior Erica Goethel took on the other 44:20. Shaw recorded two saves on two shots, while Goethel notched one save on four attempts.
Illinois State head coach Pete Kowall was pleased with his team's first scrimmage, but he was not as interested in the outcome of the match as he was in gaining experience for the upcoming season.
"The win isn't as important as the lessons we learned," said Kowall. "We got to look at some live game situations, which helped. We were able to solve some problems with our formations and also got a better feel for where people need to be playing on the field. As a whole, we gave up some chances we shouldn't have. But having said that, we limited Butler's opportunities to score. Overall, I was pleased with what I saw today."
The Redbirds will host UW-Milwaukee, Friday at 4 p.m., in the final pre-season scrimmage before regular-season play begins for ISU on August 25 at UW-Green Bay.
