Illinois State (9-7-2, 4-2-0) overpowered Evansville (4-10-2, 2-3-1) on the road with a 3-1 victory on Sunday in the last regular-season road match for the Redbirds. Sophomore Natalie Vaughn-Low scored first for the Redbirds for the second match in a row, with redshirt sophomore Abby Basler recording a brace with goals in the 77th and 85th minutes. The 'Birds secured their third straight win and now lead the all-time series with the Purple Aces 18-8-3.
"Very proud of our team performance today," said head coach Brad Silvey. "Evansville was tough to crack at times as they were organized defensively and also dangerous on the counter. This is a tough time of the season when everyone is fighting for results, and we looked very composed and prepared within the game. We controlled the majority of the game with great build up and possession, ultimately resulting in some great opportunities and great goals."
Illinois State dominated possession in the first half, as the Purple Aces failed to record a single shot. The 'Birds outshot Evansville 9-0 and 3-0 in shots on goal, creating many offensive opportunities through the first 45 minutes.
In the 15th minute, junior midfielder Kate Del Fava dribbled her way into the box before slipping the ball to a waiting Vaughn-Low. She collected the ball before striking it to the far right post, giving the 'Birds a 1-0 lead. Vaughn-Low has scored the first goal of the game in back-to-back matches now.
Evansville freshman Emily Ormson evened things up in the 63rd minute as she beat her defender to put one into the back of the net for the Purple Aces. Ormson's goal was on the first shot of the match for Evansville and also the first time the Purple Aces had scored in more than 300 minutes of play.
Basler netted the game winning goal in the 77th minute, after collecting the rebound from Ashley Santos' shot and striking it past the keeper. One goal would not be enough for Basler, as she scored again less than 10 minutes later, receiving the ball from Vaughn-Low and charging through Evansville's backline to tally her fourth goal of the season and put the Redbirds up 3-1. It was Basler's first multi-goal game since her 2016 hat trick versus Chicago State.
"Natalie and Abby have been staples in our lineup and have heavily contributed to our team success since they arrived on campus," said Silvey. "It's exciting and deserving in my opinion to see them appear on the stat sheet at this time in our season when points are critical - that's a tribute to their team mentality, resilient attitude and tremendous work rate."
The 'Birds ended the day outshooting Evansville 23-4 and 10-2 in shots on goal. Vaughn-Low led the team taking six shots while putting three of them on goal. Illinois State has secured its spot in MVC postseason play and currently sits in third place with four wins and only one game left to play in regular season.
UP NEXT: Illinois State will host Northern Iowa in the final match of the regular season on Thursday at Adelaide Street Field. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. and fans are encouraged to dress up and participate in a costume contest in honor of Halloween.
For all the latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook).
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