DES MOINES, Iowa – The Illinois State soccer team (9-5-2, 3-0-1 MVC) maintains the top spot in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 3-2 victory over Drake (9-4-2, 0-3-1). It was an aggressive match on both sides, with the Redbirds only tallying 10 shots and holding the Bulldogs to 12. ISU remains unbeaten in its last eight games, with six wins and two draws, having not lost since Sept. 8 at No. 24 Northwestern.
"I am extremely proud of our team for putting in a gutsy and resilient performance, and getting another crucial result on the road," head coach Eric Golz said. "We were playing our third game in six days under challenging conditions against a very good Drake team, and it was not pretty at times, but we found a way to win and there is a lot to be said for that."
After an aggressive 10 minutes of play, Drake's Kayla Armstrong came out with a goal in the 12th minute as she sent a rocket from the 18 to the far post past keeper Haley Smith. The Bulldogs' 1-0 lead was answered by ISU in the 27th minute. Sophomore Kiley Czerwinski battled down the sideline for a cross to the middle of the six. Senior Lauren Koehl was able to get a foot on it and bring Drake keeper Brooke Dennis off the line. Koehl put it away in the top left corner to tie the match 1-1.
The Redbirds took the lead in the 35th minute when junior Kelli Zickert put it away from outside the 18 off a ball from senior Brianne Richards. ISU kept the 2-1 lead going into the half after a clutch save by Smith.
Opening the second half, Drake's Alyssa Brand tied the game off a long shot from outside the 18. She was able to put it away in the top left corner. The game remained tied at two until the 59th minute when Koehl was able to capitalize off a cross from freshman Mikayla Unger to give the Redbirds the lead once again at 3-2. After cutting the defender, Koehl shot a rocket to the back of the net past Dennis for what ended up being the game winner.
Koehl and Czerwinski led the Redbirds offensively with four and three shots respectively, all of which were on goal. Smith tallied five saves in the net.
"Teams that want to compete for championships have to be able to win when they are not at their best, and we proved that we are capable of solving the adversity and getting it done in a variety of ways," Golz said.
The Redbirds return to action at home Thursday when they host nonconference opponent Kansas State at Adelaide Street Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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