Redbirds Travel to Drake for Conference Matchup

Live Stats | Twitter

NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer team (8-5-2, 2-0-1 MVC) will travel to Des Moines, Iowa, to face Missouri Valley Conference foe Drake (4-7-2, 2-0-0) Saturday at Cownie Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. ISU remains unbeaten in its past eight matches, with six wins and two draws. The Redbirds are currently the only undefeated team in conference play.  

Fans unable to attend Saturday's match can follow along with live stats, available at goredbirds.com, and follow @Redbird_Soccer on Twitter for in-game updates.

Last Time Out
Illinois State answered a Loyola goal with back-to-back scores – separated by just one minute – to give the Redbirds a 2-1 win at the Loyola Soccer Park Wednesday night.

Illinois State pushed the action early on, putting shots on goal and challenging Loyola goalkeeper Maddie Ford. However, the Ramblers would be the first to score at the 34-minute mark, when Ari Banks headed in a goal on a feed from Jenna Szczesny to take an early 1-0 lead. 

The lead would not last long, as just a minute later Kelli Zickert got a piece of an assist by Emily Dickman and put it in the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. The game would only be tied for one minute and one second, as Brianne Richards posted up and took a pass from Lauren Koehl before burying it in the back of the net just short of 37 minutes into the game to give Illinois State a 2-1 lead. Neither team would score before halftime.

The second half was controlled by the Redbirds, who outshot the Ramblers 12-4 over the final 45 minutes of action. A rocket shot off the foot of Kiley Czerwinski at the 85-minute mark could have put the game away for ISU, but the ball hit the crossbar squarely and bounced off to keep the advantage at one for ISU.  The defense held for the Redbirds, as they remained unbeaten in Missouri Valley Conference play while handing Loyola its first conference loss of the season.

Drake
2016 Season: 9-3-2 (0-2-1 MVC)
When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 7 p.m.
Where: Des Moines, Iowa (Cownie Soccer Complex)
Series History: ISU leads 10-6-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 26, 2015, Drake 3, Illinois State 2 (in Normal)
What You Need to Know: Drake is coming off a scoreless draw on Tuesday at Northern Iowa and is 0-2-1 in conference play against UNI, Indiana State (L, 3-2) and Evansville (L, 1-0). The Bulldogs were selected to finish first in the MVC Preseason Poll and currently sit at sixth. Sophomore Alyssa Brand leads the team offensively with four goals and one assist, while junior Haley Morris leads the team in the net with 33 saves and three shutouts.

Up Next
The Redbirds return to action Thursday, Oct. 20, when they host nonconference opponent Kansas State at Adelaide Street Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.