TAMPA, Fla. – The Illinois State soccer team expected to stay in the Midwest for their first round NCAA Tournament match. Instead, the committee sent them down to Tampa, Florida, for a matchup with the American Athletic Conference's South Florida Bulls.
With temperatures in Illinois creeping below 30 degrees and snow flurries fluttering through the air, nobody is complaining about the 70 degrees temperatures and sunshine in Tampa. However, this is no vacation for ISU; this is a business trip.
ISU's goal all season has been to get back where they were in 2013. The Redbirds became the first Missouri Valley Conference team ever to win a NCAA Tournament game when they defeated Louisville on penalty kicks last season.
ISU then fell to Michigan 3-0 in the second round. This season, the program has made more history, including the single-season wins record with 15. The Redbirds went a perfect 8-0 against Valley opponents for the second-straight season and have reeled off eight-straight wins.
They now face a team they know nothing about in the first round. South Florida turned in a solid season with 13-6-2 record along with a runner-up finish in the AAC Tournament. The Bulls fell to UConn in the AAC final on penalty kicks, but gained an at-large bid.
ISU's success of late has come by way of a dominant offense. Rachel Tejada netted five goals in the MVC Tournament, which earned her Top Drawer Soccer's National Player of the Week award. Kelli Zickert has come on strong at the end of the season and was named the MVC Freshman of the Year. If that's not enough, Hannah Leinert has regained her goal-scoring prowess, netting the winner in the MVC final against Evansville.
The Redbirds certainly have a high-octane offense, but the defense cannot be overlooked. The back four of Gabbi McArtor, Abby Van Deventer, Alyse Williams and Sara Stankoskey were rock solid down the stretch and Aryn Newsom is always reliable in the net.
ISU shutout its last three opponents in the regular season and compiled eight on the season. If the team learned anything from last year's NCAA run, it's that goals are hard to come by so the defense must be strong.
ISU and USF kickoff at 6 p.m. CST Saturday evening. The winner will move on to play the winner of Southern California and Pepperdine. You can follow the ISU soccer team on Twitter @ISU_Soccer and you can listen to the match live at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/isu/.
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