NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer team opens the 2015 campaign with a pair of Big Ten opponents this weekend. The Redbirds will travel to Ohio State for a 6 p.m. match Friday, before welcoming Illinois to Adelaide Street Field Sunday at 7 p.m.
ISU is under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Golz, after finishing 16-6 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive season in 2014. ISU went undefeated against Missouri Valley Conference opponents last season and won its fourth-consecutive MVC Tournament title.
The Redbirds begin the 2015 campaign with six new faces on the roster: five freshmen and one junior college transfer. Kelli Zickert is the top-returning scorer, after tallying 15 points last season, while Emily Dickman is the top returning goal scorer after netting six as a freshman last year. Both players were named to the All-MVC Freshman Team and Zickert was named the MVC Freshman of the Year.
ISU returns two other All-MVC players in defender Abby Van Deventer and midfielder Brooke Ksiazek. The trio of Van Deventer, Ksiazek and Zickert were named to the Preseason All-MVC Team earlier this week.
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday against Ohio State and 7 p.m. Sunday versus Illinois. Gates will open an hour and a half prior to kickoff and admission is free for all 2015 home games.
Series Histories
Illinois State and Ohio State are meeting for the first time.
Illinois State is 2-7-2 all-time against Illinois. The Fighting Illini won the last meeting in 2013 by a 5-1 score.
How to follow along
There will be a live audio broadcast for every ISU match this season. In addition, all home matches will have a live video broadcast available through Redbird HD.tv. Live stats will also be available and all links can be found on GoRedbirds.com.
Promotions
Sunday's match against Illinois will be ISU's annual "Pack the Pitch" match as the Redbirds will attempt to break the attendance record. Red Alert will host a barbecue for all members and the first 400 students will receive free hot dogs starting at 6 p.m. No RSVP is required. In addition, Red Alert sales will also be available at the tent outside the stands of Adelaide Street Field.
The Eric Golz Show
This week's edition of The Eric Golz Show is now posted on Stretch Internet.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
