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NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer team (11-5-2, 4-0-1 MVC) will host Northern Iowa (8-6-3, 2-1-2) for their final game of regular season play at Adelaide Street Field Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Redbirds are coming off a 2-1 victory at Evansville last week where they clinched the regular-season conference title and are the No. 1 seed heading into the conference tournament.
Dating back to Sept. 8, ISU is unbeaten in its past 11 matches, with nine wins and two draws. The 11-match streak is the second-longest unbeaten streak in program history, with the record set in the 2013 season (13 matches).
Fans unable to attend Sunday's match can watch live via The Valley on ESPN3, follow along with live stats and follow @Redbird_Soccer on Twitter for in-game updates.
Last Time Out
The Redbirds limited Evansville to only 4 shots in the first half while the Purple Aces countered by limiting ISU to only six. The first goal came in the 37th minute when Evansville's Colleen Dierkes was able to beat the Redbird defense and lure keeper Haley Smith off the line for an open goal.
Evansville would maintain the 1-0 lead opening the second half, but the Redbirds did not back down. Things got interesting in the 83rd minute when Brianne Richards scored her fourth goal of the season. Sara Stankoskey was able to feed the ball into the box to the feet of Lauren Koehl. Koehl was able to find Richards in the flurry to tie the match 1-1. In typical fashion, Koehl came through, scoring her 14th goal of the season in the 88th minute for the game-winner off a through ball from Kelli Zickert.
Northern Iowa
2016 Season: 8-6-3 (2-1-2 MVC)
When:Â Thursday, Oct. 27, 6 p.m.
Where:Â Normal, Illinois (Adelaide Street Field)
Series History:Â ISU leads 13-3
Last Meeting: October 10, 2015 – Illinois State 2, Northern Iowa 0 (in Cedar Falls, Iowa)
What You Need to Know: The Panthers are coming off a 4-1 conference win against Loyola and a 1-0 nonconference loss to Iowa State last week. Northern Iowa currently sits third in the MVC standings. Junior Sarah Brandt and sophomore Hannah McDevitt lead the team offensively, Brandt with six goals on the season and McDevitt with three assists. Sophomore Maddie Lesjak anchors the team in the net with 40 saves, five shutouts and a goals against average of 0.94.
Up Next
As the Redbirds wrap up their regular season, Illinois State will be the host of the 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Play begins at Adelaide Street Field Friday, Nov. 4 with two semifinal matches and the championship match will be Sunday, Nov. 6.
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