NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team (0-0-1) opened the 2017 season with a draw, 1-1, at Eastern Michigan Friday afternoon. Junior Angel Krell scored the equalizer for the Redbirds.
"I was pleased with the overall effort and response from the team after a slow start this evening," said head coach Brad Silvey. "The work rate and commitment was noticeable, but it lacked consistent purpose and unity. We progressively improved throughout the game, which is extremely positive looking forward. We will need to dig out of holes multiple times this year and it was encouraging to see some grit and resilience as we kick off the season."
Eastern Michigan opened scoring early, taking three shots in the first seven minutes. The Redbirds answered with three shots of their own and two corner kicks to spark the offense. Teams went into halftime scoreless.
The Eagles opened the second half with an early goal in the 48th minute by sophomore Sabrina McNeill off a free kick from a foul. The Redbirds answered in the 58th minute after sophomore Mikayla Unger fed the ball to Krell, who was able to beat defenders and hit the back of the net from 10 yards out. The game went scoreless to the end of regulation.
Sophomore goalkeeper Haley Smith kept the Redbirds alive in overtime and double overtime, making four of her five saves on the game after regulation. ISU outshot EMU 14 to 12, while the Eagles suffered nine off-sides to the Redbirds' zero.
ISU is back in action this Sunday, when they return to Adelaide Street Field for their home opener against #23 Northwestern. The match will be the Red Alert kickoff for the academic year and the first 200 students to attend will receive free snow cones.
Fans unable to attend Sunday's match will be able to follow along on Twitter, @Redbird_Soccer, via live stats, and watch live with The Valley on ESPN3.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
