NORMAL, Ill. - The Illinois State soccer team (3-2-0) will host a pair of Big Ten opponents this weekend when Minnesota (2-4-0) and Northwestern (0-5-0) visit Adelaide Street Field. The Redbirds will host the Golden Gophers Friday afternoon at 4 p.m., before concluding the weekend with a 1 p.m. contest against the Wildcats on Sunday.
ISU posted a pair of wins over in-state rivals Northern Illinois and DePaul last weekend, scoring a total of nine goals in the two victories. Illinois State picked up its first shutout on the season with a 5-0 victory over NIU last Friday and capped the weekend with a dramatic, 4-3, overtime win over the Blue Demons in Chicago.
"It is always a great weekend when you can get two wins," head coach Drew Roff said. "Scoring five goals and getting the shutout against Northern Illinois was the result of a great overall performance. A lot of players got an opportunity to play and get some experience, and it was a very positive day. Against DePaul, we were able to put the ball in the back of the net, which was great to see. We gave up some corner kick goals, but we persevered and got the win. To score four goals on a BIG EAST team is a great sign of things to come and will hopefully help our confidence this weekend."
Freshman Rachel Tejada earned Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week and SoccerSavings.com/Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Week accolades after recording 10 points on four goals and two assists. Tejada scored three goals, including the game-winner, against DePaul to complete the first hat trick by an ISU player since 2009. The Troy, Ill., native leads the Valley in all offensive categories with 20 points, eight goals, four assists and 22 shots. Senior Jessica Carlson and sophomore Anna Stinson rank second on the team and in the MVC with seven points.
Minnesota dropped to 2-4-0 on the season after dropping a pair of games to Georgia and nationally-ranked Milwaukee last weekend in St. Paul, Minn. The Golden Gophers return six starters from their 2010 team that finished 14-6-3 and advanced to the Sweet 16 for only the second time in school history. Taylor Uhl leads Minnesota with nine points on four goals and an assist. Goalkeeper Cat Parkhill boasts a 1.05 goals against average and anchors a defensive unit that has allowed just six goals this season.
"The key [against Minnesota] is that we realize how hard we have to work to compete at this level," Roff said. "When you play against a team that is as athletic as Minnesota for 90 minutes, it is very important that you win individual battles on the field. If we are losing those battles, they are going to be able to break us down and cause mismatches. We also have to be able to put them under some pressure, because we realize we cannot just sit back and defend the entire time. We have some more weapons this year, and I am looking forward to seeing if we can create some chances in transition."
Northwestern will be looking for its first win of the season when it makes the Sunday trip from Evanston to Normal. The Wildcats are 0-5-0 this season with their latest losses coming to St. Mary's and No. 2 Stanford last weekend in California. NU finished 6-10-3 last season and returns eight starters from that squad. Kate Allen and Emily Langston have each scored two goals to lead the Northwestern offense and goalkeeper Anna Cassell leads a Wildcat defense that has given up 14 goals. Cassell has played every minute in goal, recording 17 saves and posting a 2.77 goals against average.
"One thing we bring this year, that we didn't have against Northwestern last year, is depth," Roff said. "They will be looking for a quality win before they start Big Ten play and we really need to be prepared for them. I look forward to seeing how we match up with them with our improved depth and I expect us to be able to play a stronger 90 minutes than perhaps we were able to last year."
Minnesota and Northwestern both lead the all-time series with Illinois State, as the Golden Gophers have won both previous meetings and the Wildcats hold a 4-2 advantage. ISU fell, 2-0, to Northwestern last year in Evanston, before falling, 3-0, to Minnesota in St. Paul.
Friday will be Reggie's Kids Club Day at Adelaide Street Field. All Reggie's Kids Club members will receive free admission to the game, as well as a free snack, face painting, and an appearance by Reggie. There will be an opportunity to register for Reggie's Kids Club prior to the game and members registering the day of the game will also receive free admission.
On Sunday, Illinois State fans are encouraged to "Pack the Park" and fill Adelaide Street Field for the Redbirds' contest against Northwestern. Fans will be granted free admission to the game with a "Pack the Park" coupon. Coupons are available at several campus locations and local businesses and will be available at Friday's soccer game with Minnesota and at Saturday's football game against Morehead State.
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