Illinois State (6-7-2, 1-2-0) dropped a 2-0 decision to Valparaiso (4-6-2, 1-2-0) on Monday morning. The match took place at the Corn Crib, a venue nearby Illinois State's campus, after poor weather and field conditions delayed the game from its original scheduled time of Sunday afternoon.
The Crusaders first got on the scoreboard in the 29th minute, when senior Caitlyn Oliver netted a goal off a rebounded shot by redshirt junior Ava Porlier. About ten minutes later, junior Julia Lehnen would slip one past the keeper to put Valparaiso up 2-0 just before halftime. Both teams would continue to battle in the second half, with neither finding the back of the net.
The Redbirds had plenty of opportunities, outshooting the Crusaders 27-12 on the day and 12-9 in shots on goal. Junior Kate Del Fava took a team-high six shots and redshirt sophomore Abby Basler led the team with three shots on goal. Illinois State also had the advantage in corners, taking eight compared to Valparaiso's one. Junior goalkeeper Haley Smith had seven saves.
"We are really pleased with how our team has been able to create dangerous opportunities consistently within games," said head coach Brad Silvey. "But opportunities don't win games - goals win games, and we are in a drought. The details need to sharpen up, but we have plenty of individuals that have the ability to score and I have no doubt that once we break the dam, it will be a scoring frenzy. We will remain confident and believe that our team will finish their next great moment."
UP NEXT: Illinois State will travel to Chicago to play Loyola in a Missouri Valley Conference matchup on Saturday, Oct. 13. The match at Loyola Soccer Park will kick off at 5 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+. The Ramblers are the only team left undefeated in MVC play.
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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