NORMAL, Ill. - For the first time in recent history, the Illinois State women's soccer team is regionally-ranked No. 10 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), while Illinois State junior Alyssa Schulz was named the Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week Monday, Oct. 26, as announced by the league office, marking her second honor of this kind this season.
"To be regionally-ranked for the first time since I have been at ISU is exciting," said head coach Drew Roff. "This is the time of year you want to be ranked, and it says a lot about our players. To persevere through a tough stretch early in the season like they did, win eight games in a row, and now be considered one of the top ten teams in the region says a lot about their ability and their character."
The Redbirds are ranked tenth in the Great Lakes Region after clinching the 2009 MVC regular-season championship. The title marks the third-straight championship for the Redbirds and the seventh championship in Illinois State history, which leads the Valley for most championships by one team.
The Great Lakes Region includes four conferences including the Big Ten Conference, the Horizon League, the Mid-American Conference and the MVC. Ohio State is ranked first in the region followed by Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota, Central Michigan and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The Redbirds are 10-5-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play, after winning eight-straight games. The winning streak ties the program record for most consecutive wins in a season. The last time the Redbirds won eight-straight games was in 2001, while the Valley record is nine-straight wins. On the season, the Redbirds are fourth in program history for points in a season at Illinois State with 96 and goals in a season with 36.
Schulz scored one goal and added an assist to lead the Illinois State women's soccer team to a shutout victory over Drake, 2-0, Sunday to clinch the Valley regular-season title. Schulz led the Redbirds in points on the game with three after assisting Jessica Carlson on the Redbirds' first goal and scoring the second goal 28 minutes in from a Ruthie Zemke assist.
"It is great to see Alyssa get recognized for her performance on Sunday," said Roff. "She had a great assist and followed it up with a very nice goal in a big conference game. You can't ask much more than that from a forward, and it is great to see her hard work continuing to pay off."
On the season, Schulz has six goals and five assists for 17 total points. Schulz is tied for first in the conference in goals with four in conference play.
Schulz's honor marks the fifth-straight MVC Player of the Week award for the Redbirds. Redbird senior Danielle Mutters and Sasha Reiber were named MVC Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 28, and Oct. 19, respectively, while Alyssa Schulz and Jessica Carlson were named Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 5 and Oct. 12, respectively.
Indiana State's Taylor Nelson was name MVC Defensive Player of the Week this week.
The Redbirds will go for an undefeated conference season as they conclude regular-season play Thursday when they travel to Missouri State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
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