Illinois State (1-1-2) played Tulsa (1-1-1) to a 1-1 overtime draw on Sunday afternoon in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Hurricane Soccer Stadium. This is the second time this season that the Redbirds have played a full 110 minutes, with the first being their season-opening draw with CSUN, 2-2. Senior Angel Krell scored her second goal of the season in the 18th minute to give the 'Birds a 1-0 lead going into halftime.
The Redbirds controlled much of the first half, outshooting Tulsa 8-2. Illinois State's lone goal occurred at 17:02 when sophomore Sarah LaFayette slotted a pass forward to a breaking Krell. Krell received the ball in the box and proceeded to chip the ball over the goalkeeper's head to find the back of the net. It was Krell's fifth career and second goal this season.
Tulsa increased their offensive productivity in the second half, outshooting Illinois State 13-9 and earning the advantage in corner kicks 7-0. Freshman Alijah Oliver scored the equalizer and her first career goal in the 68th minute. Both teams battled through two 10-minute overtime periods, but ultimately couldn't find the golden goal to secure the win.
Juniors Megan McEachern and Haley Smith were the only two Redbirds to play the entire 110 minutes. Smith, the reigning MVC Defensive Player of the Week, had six saves in goal, with two of them coming after regulation had ended.
UP NEXT: Illinois State will travel to Oxford, Ohio to play Miami on Friday, Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. Then, the Redbirds will make their way to Chicago to play a 3 p.m. match against UIC on Sunday, Sept. 2.
For all the latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook).
