OXFORD, Ohio - The Illinois State soccer team had been rolling of late, winning their last three matches, including two shutouts. Sunday at Miami (OH) the win streak came to an end as the Redbirds fell 3-2. It's ISU's first loss to a Mid-American Conference opponent this season as they were 3-0 against MAC foes coming into the match.
Miami struck early on a blustery day in Oxford, netting the opening goal in the eighth minute of the match. Later in the half the Redhawks would score another to take a 2-0 lead into the half. The first 45 minutes did not come without chances for ISU as one shot struck the crossbar and multiple others required solid goalkeeping. Despite the team's efforts, the Redbirds trailed by two goals for the first time this season at halftime.
The second half started much different than the first, with ISU controlling possession and spending extended amounts of time in its attacking half. In the 52nd minute, the Redbirds had a breakthrough as Ali Farkos served a nice pass into the penalty box for Rachel Tejada. Tejada took the ball on the left side of the goal and put it across into the right corner for her seventh goal of the season. The assist was Farkos' fourth of the year and it brought the Redbirds' within one.
Five minutes later Hannah Leinert worked her way down the left side to the corner. She was able to get around a defender and into the penalty box. Nearing the six-yard box and just a few yards from the goal line, Leinert sent a shot on the ground that snuck in past the near post to tie the match. The goal was Leinert's fourth of the season.
The Redhawks did not wait long to regain possession of the lead, however. Five minutes after Leinert's equalizer, Miami's Kelsey Dinges fired a strike from 23 yards out that sailed into the back of the net. The one-goal lead would hold despite a desperate flurry of attempts at the end of the match by ISU.
The loss drops the Redbirds to 6-4 as the team now prepares for Missouri Valley Conference play. Sunday ISU will host Missouri State in the MVC opener and the team looks to defend its 2013 regular season conference crown.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Adelaide Street Field Sunday.
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