NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State soccer team (4-3-0) will head north to Michigan for its final two non-conference games against Eastern Michigan (0-5-1) and Western Michigan (3-3-0), before opening conference play next weekend. The Redbirds will play the Eagles in Ypsilanti Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. and wrap up the weekend with a 1 p.m. tilt with the Broncos Sunday in Kalamazoo.
ISU split a pair of matches last weekend with Big Ten foes Minnesota and Northwestern. Illinois State was shutout for the first time this season in its 1-0 loss to the Gophers last Friday on a wet and sloppy Adelaide Street Field. The Redbirds rebounded with a 2-1, double-overtime victory against the Wildcats last Sunday. Illinois State trailed, 1-0, at halftime, but got a second-half penalty kick goal from senior Jessica Carlson and freshman Rachel Tejada provided the game-winner in the 104th minute to give ISU its first win over Northwestern since 2004.
"I thought our team battled very well last weekend, especially in the tough conditions on Friday," head coach Drew Roff said. "Any time you can split a weekend against two, tough Big Ten teams it is productive. We went toe-to-toe with Minnesota and were able to create some chances, we just couldn't put them away. We came back strong and got the win against Northwestern Sunday. In that game, I was very impressed at how our bench came in and kept the energy high, especially in the first half."
The Redbirds have found the back of the net 20 times in their first seven games this season and rank 17th nationally with a 2.86 goals-per-game average. Tejada's nine goals and 22 points are tied for third-best in the country and her three game-winning goals have her tied for eighth.
Eastern Michigan will host ISU Friday in its first home game in over a month and will also be looking for its first win of the season. The Eagles have fired 41 shots on goal, but have only mustered four goals this season. Cara Cutaia and Angelo Vultaggio lead the EMU offense with four points each. Julie Kaim, an All-MAC Second-Team selection last season, will return to the pitch after missing her last four games, and is expected to lead the Eastern Michigan defense. Maggie Manville has been the Eagles' top goalkeeper this season, collecting 20 saves in 375 minutes, while posting a 1.68 goals against average and a .741 save percentage.
"Eastern Michigan is a very physical team and they will want to get their first win," Roff said. "They haven't played at home in a long time, they will be excited to be on their home field and we will have to match that excitement. This will be a great test for us, because we need to go on the road and give the same kind of effort we did at home against those Big Ten teams last weekend."
Western Michigan will travel to Dayton, Ohio for a Friday afternoon contest with Wright State, before returning to the WMU Soccer Complex to host the Redbirds Sunday. The Broncos are looking to rebound from last Friday's, 1-0, loss to in-state rival Michigan, and will be led by reigning MAC Offensive Player of the Year Stephanie Skowneski. Last season, Skowneski was the first-ever WMU player to earn MAC Player of the Year honors and leads the Western Michigan offense with eight points on three goals and a pair of assists this season. Goalkeeper Michelle Watson leads the Bronco defense with 16 saves, a 1.11 goals against average and a .762 save percentage.
"Western Michigan is another very tough and physical team," Roff said. "They are a very good team that is well coached and I'm looking forward to see how we come out to start the game. We need to put together a full 90 minutes against them, especially right before conference play begins."
Eastern Michigan leads the all-time series with Illinois State, 2-1, and won last year's meeting in Normal, Ill., 1-0, to snap the Redbirds' 16-game home unbeaten streak. Sunday's game in Kalamazoo will mark the first-ever meeting between ISU and Western Michigan.
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