McEachern Dubbed MVC Defensive Player of the Week

Junior Megan McEachern was dubbed the MVC Defensive Player of the Week following a weekend that found the Redbirds securing two wins against Toledo and Omaha. This is McEachern's first time receiving MVC Player of the Week honors and the third time this season an Illinois State player has been named the Defensive Player of the Week.

McEachern was an integral part to Illinois State's strong backline that allowed only one goal and lifted the Redbirds to two wins over Toledo and Omaha last week. She played a full 90 minutes in both games, proving to be a menace to opposing forwards and stifling her opponent's momentum in key moments. McEachern also notched her first career goal in Sunday's contest versus Omaha, rocketing a shot through traffic from distance to give the 'Birds an insurance goal in their 2-0 shutout of Omaha. She is the first Redbird defender to score this season.

This is the second week in a row that a Redbird player has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors with goalkeeper Haley Smith earning it last week for her performance against two Big Ten opponents. Smith had previously been named MVC Defensive Player of the Week the first week of the season as well.

Illinois State continues their three-game homestand on Wednesday when they take on Western Illinois at 6 p.m. at Adelaide Street Field. The match will serve as Josh Rodgers Remembrance Day and Redbird soccer will honor Army Ranger Sgt. Joshua Rodgers who passed away in April 2017 in the Nangarhar Province. Joshua's sister, former Illinois State soccer player Hannah Rodgers and her family will present the game ball before the match. The Illinois State ROTC will be in attendance and all veterans and local heroes will be honored during the match.

For all the latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook).

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.