Aug. 14, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the first time in the program's history, the Illinois State women's soccer team is set to compete against IUPUI at home as the Redbirds conclude their exhibition play Sunday at Adelaide Street Field at noon.
"This game is also an opportunity to take a look at some more players," said head coach Drew Roff. "We have a deep bench, and we want to get players time to see what they look like in certain spots. We are definitely excited to have two exhibition games, especially this one at home. We have had quite a bit of success at home in the past. So, it is a place we love to play. It will be nice to get back out on our home field."
The Redbirds are coming off a 1-1 tie with UW-Milwaukee in their first exhibition game Tuesday (Aug. 11).
"We took a couple lessons away with us from the match against UW-Milwaukee that we will bring with us in this game," said Roff. "I definitely saw some things we need to improve on. For example, we need to keep the ball in the attack, linkup with our midfielders and stay connected as a team defensively. We need to be on the same page and work together a little bit better than we did in Milwaukee."
IUPUI ended the 2008 season with an overall record of 13-7-0, while recording eight shutouts to clinch a share of The Summit League Regular-Season Championship. IUPUI lost to South Dakota State, 2-1, in The Summit League Tournament semifinals. Head coach Chris Johnson was honored as The Summit League's Coach of the Year, while Alicia Brock was named Newcomer of the Year.
"IUPUI is a good team, and it will be a tough challenge for us," said Roff. "We are going into this game to find out more about our team, our players and how we can improve. Exhibitions are great opportunities to work on some things without it counting towards our record."
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