NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team (9-8-2, 3-4-0 MVC) will travel to Waterloo, Iowa Sunday to face UNI (12-4-1, 4-3-0 MVC) in the quarterfinals of the MVC Tournament. The match is set for 1 p.m.
The match will be broadcast as part of The Valley on ESPN3. Fans can also follow along with the match via live stats and the Redbird soccer Twitter account, @Redbird_Soccer, for in-game updates.
UNI – What You Need to Know
The Panthers closed out their season against Indiana State Thursday afternoon with a 2-0 win over the Sycamores. UNI has the No. 4 seed heading into postseason play. The Redbirds last faced the Panthers September 23 in Waterloo where they fell, 0-1, in overtime in their conference opener. This was the first match of the season that UNI did not score in regulation. The game-winner came in the 91st minute from junior Brynell Yount, as she was able to get around a defender and hit the far post from 12 yards out. Yount and senior Sarah Brandt lead UNI offensively as Yount has a team-high nine goals and Brandt has a team-high seven assists. Junior keeper Jami Reichenberger leads the league with the most shutouts and the lowest goals against average. She has nine shutouts and 50 saves on the season.
Last Time Out
The Redbirds fell to Missouri State Thursday afternoon, 2-0, in their regular-season finale. ISU was able to maintain equal possession throughout the first half despite being outshot 4-11. The Redbirds challenged MSU on service balls but ultimately struggled to settle in their offensive attack. Dangerous opportunities were present but ISU was unable to come up with the equalizer as a Missouri State goal in the 35th minute gave the Bears the 1-0 lead going into halftime. The second half brought a new set of challenges for the Redbirds. The Bears came out strong and were able to find the back of the net for the second time, giving them the 2-0 lead in the 57th minute. MSU was able to maintain offensive dominance, outshooting ISU 19-12 on the match, with 11 shots on goal. The Redbirds finished with five shots on goal.
The winner of Sunday's match will advance and play No. 1 Drake Friday, November 3 at tournament site Missouri State. The MVC Tournament Championship will be Sunday, November 5 at 1 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more
