The Illinois State women's soccer team played CSUN to a draw, 2-2, in an overtime battle Thursday night at Adelaide Street Field. Freshman Logan Ziegler and senior Angel Krell tallied the first goals of the season for the Redbirds, scoring in the 67th and 79th minute respectively. Junior goalkeeper Haley Smith made nine saves in net to help limit the Matadors' offense.
The Matadors struck first in the 27th minute as redshirt sophomore Bethany Fitzsimmons slotted in a cross from freshman Alyssa Aguilar. CSUN would score again, minutes after the second half began on an unassisted Michaela Giordano goal.
"It was an incredible environment and atmosphere," said Head Coach Brad Silvey. "We went down two goals which was obviously not part of the game plan, but our team's response to being down two goals and to challenge and compete for a win makes me incredibly proud of our group. Not proud of conceding two goals, but the response to it. It showed a lot of grit, desire and drive, and those are all things that we have been preaching."
Down 2-0, the 'Birds found the spark they needed in Ziegler when she found the back of the net during a chaotic free kick. Junior Kate Del Fava and sophomore Ashley Santos were credited with assists on the goal. It was the freshman's first goal in her first career game.
"I'm incredibly happy for Logan to open up her account, and our team's account, for the 2018 season," Silvey said. "That's a kid who has come in and worked incredibly hard. It was a great moment for her and for our team."
In the 79th minute, Kiley Czerwinski sent the ball in to Natalie Vaughn-Low in the box on a corner kick. Vaughn-Low gained position and chipped it up to a waiting Krell, who evened the score with a header near the left post. The Redbirds found their rhythm in the second half, outshooting the Matadors, 13-3, and owning a 7-2 edge on corner kicks.
Both teams continued to battle in overtime but were unable to score the golden goal to secure the win. The Redbirds had the advantage in overall stats, outshooting CSUNÂ 22-16, including 15-11 shots on goal. Ziegler, Shaina Dudas and Riley O'Brien all made their collegiate debuts, subbing in off the bench for Illinois State.Â
UP NEXT: Illinois State will host Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Aug. 19 at Adelaide Street Field at 1Â p.m. Admission to all regular season home games are free.
For all the latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook).
