NORMAL, Ill. -The Illinois State soccer team will look to break its first losing streak since 2010 this weekend at Bowling Green on Friday, Sept. 14 at 6 p.m., before taking on Toledo Sunday at 12 p.m. The Redbirds have lost two consecutive matches for the first time since losing three in a row from Sept. 12-19, 2010.
The Falcons (1-5-0) and Rockets (2-5-0) represent the Redbirds' (3-2-2) third and fourth opponents from the Mid-American Conference this season, respectively. ISU won at Northern Illinois Aug. 31 1-0 before falling at home to Western Michigan 2-1 on Sept. 2. The Redbirds hold an all-time mark of 20-13-3 against teams from the MAC.
"We need to go in to these games with confidence," junior Anna Stinson said. "We tend to struggle sometimes against the MAC teams, like Western Michigan this year. They are really hard-working and quick teams. If go in knowing that we can match that, be tough and put together passes, I think we'll be successful."
The Falcons enter Friday's match at 1-5-0 and on a three-match losing streak after falling 3-0 at Valparaiso Sept. 9. Coached by former ISU assistant Kellie Evans on an interim basis, the Falcons' offense has struggled, scoring just four goals in six games. Tracy Togba, Madeline Wideman, Sidney Huth and Jessica Jarvis have netted for the Falcons, while Demy Whitaker leads the team in assists with two. Fifth-year senior Becca Ison has started all six matches between the pipes for the Falcons and enters Friday's match with a 2.90 GAAvg. The only previous meeting between the Redbirds and Falcons came last season at Adelaide Street Field, when ISU scored five second-half goals to win 5-2.
"What happened in the past is in the past," head coach Drew Roff said of last year's victory over the Falcons. "We have to earn everything we get every day."
The Rockets have seen their 2012 season get off to a slow start, as they come in to Sunday's match at 2-5-0 and losers of two consecutive games. The defending MAC champions have struggled to score, netting six goals through seven games after scoring 44 one year ago. Junior Rachel MacLeod, the 2011 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, leads the team with three goals and six points. Three other Rockets have tallied. Senior back Natalia Gaitan, a second-team All-Great Lakes Region selection in 2011, has yet to find the score sheet, but leads the team in minutes with 637. The Rockets are led by 12th-year head coach Brad Evans, the 2010 and 2011 MAC Coach of the Year.
"We're really excited to play Toledo, because we have not before," Roff said. "That's one team that we have wanted to play, because we want to test ourselves against them. They are going to be well-coached, well-organized and very tough."
Sophomore Rachel Tejada will lead the Redbird offensive attack. The Troy, Ill., native enters the weekend tied for third nationally with nine goals and ranks second in goals-per-game (1.29). She also leads the Missouri Valley Conference by wide margins in goals, goals/game and points (19), while ranking third in shots with 25. Her late equalizer at No. 15 Wisconsin on Sept. 9 moved her past Jess Carlson into sole possession of second place on the program's all-time goals list with 30. Annie Wayland holds the record with 59 career goals.
The Redbirds latest loss came against the Badgers, as they fought valiantly but fell 3-2 in double overtime. It was the program's first loss of the sudden-death variety since falling 2-1 at Creighton on Oct. 28, 2010. It was also only Roff's second defeat in the second overtime period as Redbird head coach, with ISU last losing in double overtime Sept. 14, 2008 at South Florida.
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