NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team opens its season on the road Friday, traveling to Ypsilanti, Michigan, to face off against Eastern Michigan at 3 p.m. CT. The Redbirds defeated the Eagles, 4-2, in Ypsilanti last season. Fans unable to attend Friday's match can follow along with live stats and follow @Redbird_Soccer on Twitter for in-game updates.
ISU will return home Sunday for its home opener against No. 23 Northwestern at Adelaide Street Field at 1 p.m. CT. The Redbirds fell to the Wildcats last season, 1-0, in Evanston, Illinois. Fans unable to attend Sunday's match can watch the game live on The Valley on ESPN3 and follow along with live stats. Fans can also follow @Redbird_Soccer on Twitter for in-game updates.
Eastern Michigan – What You Need to Know
EMU was selected to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the conference's coaches poll as head coach Scott Hall, the longest tenured women's soccer coach in the MAC, enters his 19th season at the helm of the Eagles. The team's key returners include 2016 MAC Freshman of the Year Sabrina McNeill and Second-Team All-MAC goalkeeper Kaylin Williams. EMU returns 13 players while adding 10 freshmen to the roster, which is the fifth-largest freshman class in the nation.
Northwestern – What You Need to Know
NU was selected to finish second in the Big Ten in the coaches poll as they are the defending Big Ten champions, winning their first-ever conference title in 2016, and are ranked No. 23 nationally heading into this season. The Wildcats led the country with 17 shutouts and a 0.29 goals against average, allowing only seven goals last season. They have key defensive returners in Lauren Clem, Kayla Sharples and Hannah Davison. Clem is the defending Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year and is on the 2017 Hermann Trophy Watch List for the nation's top player, while Sharples was named All-Big Ten in 2016. All three earned spots on the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region team a year ago and preseason honors ahead of this season. Northwestern also opens its season Friday when it faces off against DePaul in Evanston.
Promotions
Sunday's match is the Red Alert kickoff for ISU students. The first 200 students will receive free snow cones and Red Alert passes will be available for purchase. Dizzy Bat penalty kicks will be performed during half time by three lucky fans and Reggie Redbird will be defending the goal. Admission is always free at Adelaide Street Field so come out to support Redbird Soccer.
Last Time Out
The Redbirds defeated the Milwaukee Panthers last week in their only exhibition game ahead of the 2017 season, 2-1, at Adelaide Street Field. Junior Kiley Czerwinski and senior Hannah Rodgers were the goal-scorers for the Redbirds while senior Kelli Zickert provided an assist. All three Redbird keepers collected minutes between the pipes during the match, with sophomore Haley Smith and senior Vanessa Niestrom making one save a piece and freshman Jenny Scara making three saves.
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