NORMAL, Ill. – The rain came and went throughout the day in Normal, but amid the sloppy conditions, the Illinois State soccer team defeated Northern Iowa 3-1 Wednesday at Adelaide Street Field.
The Redbirds' offense was as steady as the light rain that fell all game long as ISU fired a season-high 30 shots on the Panthers. Rachel Tejada took 10 of the shots and found the back of the net twice for her 11th and 12th goals of the season. Tejada leads the conference in goals and points and now has 66 career goals.
In the 22nd minute, Brooke Ksiazek delivered a beautiful through ball up the right side of the pitch to Kelli Zickert. Zickert navigated her way into the penalty box, around a defender and flicked a pass to the middle for Tejada. Tejada had an empty net in front of her and didn't miss the opportunity.
For Zickert, it was her second assist of the season and her third-straight game with at least one point. She scored a goal in the previous two matches.
UNI's only offense was supplied by ISU as the Redbirds scored an own goal in the 36th minute. The goal tied the match at one and it would stay that way the rest of the first half.
In the second half, the Redbirds stayed aggressive on the offensive end and the wet field never seemed to throw the ISU attack off. ISU continually pressured UNI and was relentless with the shots. In the 63rd minute, Tejada was at it again, this time off a rebound.
After a corner kick, UNI struggled to clear the ball as bodies flooded the box. Finally, the ball popped out to the top of the box where Tejada was waiting. She pounded a shot on the ground that found its way through the mass of feet and into the net. The lead would hold for the rest of the match.
For insurance, the Redbirds tacked on one more goal in the 82nd minute. Rhianna Krutz sent a corner kick high and long to the back post. Ksiazek came streaking up the left side of the box and flew above everyone else for the header into the net. It was the first assist of the season for Krutz and the first goal of the year for Ksiazek.
The Redbirds dominated the game from every angle, outshooting UNI 30-5 and holding a 9-0 advantage in corner kicks. Aryn Newsom made four saves in the net for ISU, which brings her season total to 50.
Because of the overcast conditions, the new lights made their debut ahead of the first official night game in program history on October 30.
ISU is now 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference and sits in the driver's seat atop the conference standings. With the win, the Redbirds have now won 17-straight MVC matches dating back to October 2012.
Sunday, Indiana State comes to town for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Redbirds will celebrate Senior Day and Heidecke Day Sunday. A live audio and video broadcast will be carried on GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
