NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team (5-5-2) defeated Western Illinois (1-10-0), 1-0, Sunday afternoon. This is the second victory in a row for the Redbirds.
"This was a necessary result to build momentum as we wrap up our non-conference season," said head coach Brad Silvey. "Multiple wins and shutouts on the weekend should provide some quality traction to attack this next week. The energy and response to start the second half was incredibly dynamic and difficult to defend. The continued persistence and resilience in our attack led to some exciting opportunities." Â Â
ISU dominated possession throughout the first half, outshooting WIU 9-4. The second half started hot with junior Angel Krell recording her third goal of the season after sophomore Mikayla Unger fed her the ball inside the 6. Senior Kelli Zickert started the play inside the 18 before hitting Unger with the through ball. Krell was able to turn off a defender and hit the upper 90 of the far post to take the lead in the 46th minute.
The Redbirds continued to dominate the second half, outshooting the Leathernecks 22-7 on the match, with 12 shots on goal and having sophomore Haley Smith only needing to make two saves. Zickert and fellow senior Emily Dickman led the team with four shots each, with Krell and sophomore Megan McEachern each tallying three. The win marks Smith's sixth shutout of the season.
"UIC will be a tough contest as they are well tested, experienced and coming in off a win. They have found themselves in most of their games and will be eager to earn a result as they return to conference play," said Silvey.
The Redbirds return to Adelaide Street Field Wednesday, October 4 for senior night against UIC. The match is set for 7 p.m. kickoff.
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