EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois State soccer team held on for a 2-1 win at SIU Edwardsville Wednesday in its final non-conference game of the year Wednesday evening at Korte Stadium in Edwardsville, Ill.
Freshman Kyla Cross scored her first collegiate goal in the 22nd minute to give the Redbirds an early 1-0 lead. The ISU offense used a breakaway to set up the goal, as junior Jessica Carlson collected a loose ball and sent it into the box finding a wide open Cross. Cross then beat SIU Edwardsville goalkeeper Claire Lovercheck with a low shot to the near post from 10 yards out.
"I thought it was a really nice goal," head coach Drew Roff said. "As the defender came over to cover Jess [Carlson], she slotted the ball to Kyla and it was text book. It was great to see, because she is a talented young player that just needs to score some goals to keep that confidence going."
Sophomore Rachel Bostick increased the ISU lead to 2-0, heading in a corner kick service from Carlson in the 58th minute. Carlson delivered the ball to the far post and Bostick headed it into the bottom corner of the net for her second goal of the season.
"If that play is executed properly, it is almost impossible to stop," Roff said. "If the service is where it needs to be and Rachel gets a good run at it, she is going to score. She knows how to use her body and it's great in the air. It is nice to see that because a lot of these games are tight and a lot of games come down to those set pieces."
SIUE halved the Illinois State on a Hope Jones goal in the 79th minute. Jones found the back of the net from 10 yards out to prevent the shutout, scoring on a pass from Devon Thomas.
The Cougars outshot the Redbirds, 7-3, in the final 45 minutes, but the ISU defense held strong and preserved the win after surviving a flurry of shots in the final 10 minutes.
Sophomore goalkeeper Mara Kremenovic made seven saves for the Redbirds, including five in the second half in the winning effort. Offensively, Bostick and junior Mary Sahm each fired a pair of shots to lead Illinois State.
With the win, ISU improves to 7-6-1 on the season and will host Missouri Valley Conference opponent Indiana State at 1 p.m. Sunday at Adelaide Street Field on Senior Day. SIUE falls to 8-5-1 and will travel to Kansas for its next match against on Oct. 29.
"It was nice to get out of here tonight with a win with everyone healthy," Roff added. "It was a very physical game today and we just need to address a couple of things. This time of year, you aren't throwing a whole lot of new concepts in, you are just trying to play your best soccer. It is the last home game of the year, it is Senior Day, and we need to put to it all together. We are close and are getting better, but I think there is a level for 90 minutes that we are capable of attaining that we haven't done yet."
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