NORMAL, Ill. - Spectators at Friday's Illinois State soccer game may not have recognized No. 29 for ISU and for good reason. The Redbirds don't field that number but freshman Ammanda Wisniewski was forced to change jerseys from her usual No. 18 to the alternate number at the half because of an injury that drew blood. Wisniewski came back in the second half to score two Illinois State goals and lift the `Birds over in-state rival Northern Illinois, 2-0, in their first win of the 2006 season.
Illinois State evens its record to 1-1-1 on the year, while Northern Illinois moves to 1-2-0.
Redbird head coach Pete Kowall was pleased that his team was able to put together a complete game, implementing practice from earlier in the week.
"That was one of the best, well-rounded games we've played," said Kowall. "We played well today but also trained really hard this week. The kids were able to transfer what we did in practice to tonight's game situation. That was a more complete game for us.
"Besides the two goals we scored, we still had three or four other chances that were good shots," Kowall continued. "We had different people step up which is always nice to see and our defense looked like it did in the old days, where we shut them down and we didn't allow any break-aways, but just shots from distance."
Scoring was stagnant in the first half for both teams, though play was concentrated on Illinois State's offensive side of the field. Mel Routledge created the `Birds' closest first-half scoring opportunity with just ten minutes to play in the period. Taking a pass from Yvonne Northover, Routledge dribbled down the left side and put a shot on goal to NIU goalie Lindsey Curnock. Routledge's shot was deflected out of bounds by the goalkeeper.
Then with just :45 to play in the first half, Redbird senior Jaclyn Rucinsky was pulled down in the box as she was attacking on a goal opportunity. No foul was called and Rucinsky's shot resulted in a Curnock save. The teams were scoreless at the half.
Wisniewski took over for the `Birds after the half, as the freshman threw on the alternate jersey. At the 62:32 mark, Illinois State sophomore Kacia Snyder took a corner kick awarded to the Redbirds. Snyder placed the ball perfectly just 10 yards in front of the goal, as Routledge jumped, heading the ball towards the net. Her shot was blocked by Curnock though it rebounded back into the cluster in front of the goal. Wisniewski took the rebound and put it past the NIU defenders for the first goal of the night and of her career.
Just nine minutes later, Wisniewski would find the goal again, taking a through ball from senior Meghan Boler. The pass found Wisniewski 15 yards out, as she took a shot that sailed into the net past Curnock. Boler's assist was her second of the season and the tenth of her Redbird career. She now moves into a tie for third place in the ISU record books for career assists.
"Ammanda is just opportunistic," said Kowall. "She is just always in the box and is able to find ways to score goals. The second one was just great. She knew that if she got in there and got a touch, she would score. It was just awesome to watch."
Wisniewski's goals were the first of her Redbird career as the freshman forward launched five shots on the night, all of which were on goal. She now leads the 2006 squad in total points with four.
Illinois State led in all offensive categories, as the `Birds took 20 shots, 12 of which were on goal. The Huskies took just seven shots on the night. ISU also led in corner kicks, 6-0.
Huskie goalkeeper Curnock tallied all 10 saves for Northern Illinois and recorded the loss. Andrea Shaw tabbed the win for ISU, pulling in five saves.
Illinois State travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich., Sunday, to take on Central Michigan in a 1:00 pm game at the CMU Soccer Complex.
