NORMAL, Ill. - After opening the season with road games at Akron and Kent State, the Illinois State women's soccer team will host its home opener against Eastern Michigan, Friday at 4 p.m. and will face DePaul, Sunday at 1 p.m., at Adelaide Street Field.
The Redbirds come into the weekend with a 1-1-0 record after splitting a pair of road games in Ohio last week. ISU was defeated by Akron, 3-0, in the regular-season opener Friday before bouncing back with a 2-1 win over Kent State, Sunday. Illinois State's win over the Golden Flashes was the only win by a Missouri Valley Conference team in the first weekend of the season.
"We are excited to play at home this weekend," head coach Drew Roff said. "We are comfortable at home and we know we have the support of our fans. Our first road trip was an eight-hour drive and it was a good chance for the team to come together, especially for the new players, but there is nothing like playing at home."
The Redbirds have been nearly unbeatable at home since Roff arrived in 2007, posting a record of 19-1-2 at Adelaide Street Field during his tenure. Last season, ISU went 7-0 on their home pitch and have not been beaten in Normal, Ill., since Sept. 23, 2007.
Eastern Michigan enters Friday's game with a 0-0-1 record, after tying Michigan, 1-1, in their season opener. The Eagles return eight starters from last year's squad that finished the season with an 11-4-6 overall record and a 6-1-4 mark in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. Senior goalkeeper Monique Budani posted a 0.87 goals against average and five shutouts in 2009.
"Eastern Michigan is a good team and there were a lot of games this weekend where teams from the MAC played teams from the Missouri Valley Conference, and the MAC did very well," Roff said. "I look at Eastern Michigan to be very similar to a team like Akron, who we played last weekend. We know that it is going to be a good test and we know we have to play well to get the result we want."
DePaul currently stands 1-1-0 on the season, after splitting games with Iowa and Northwestern last weekend. The Blue Demons traveled to Iowa and downed the Hawkeyes, before losing to the Wildcats in double overtime in Evanston, Ill. DePaul returns 10 of 11 starters from its 2009 team, including leading scorer Tara Strickland, who scored seven goals and tallied 20 points last season.
"I think DePaul feels a little bit slighted because of where they were picked in the preseason in the BIG EAST, but they return 10 of 11 starters from a team that had a solid year," Roff said. "Last year, I know we didn't play our best game against them. They wore us down a bit towards the end of the game with their speed and athleticism. I am really looking forward to see how we withstand that this year. We have quality depth this year and we are really going to need that depth this weekend."
The Redbirds will be looking to avenge losses to both the Eagles and Blue Demons this weekend, as both EMU and DePaul have won the latest meetings. Illinois State fell to Eastern Michigan, 2-1, in Ypsilanti, Mich., in 2006 and dropped a 2-0 decision to DePaul last year in Chicago.
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