Illinois State (11-4, 4-0 MVC) is set to take on Loyola Chicago (9-4-1, 4-0-0 MVC) on Sunday afternoon at home, with first place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings on the line. The Redbirds and Ramblers are both unbeaten in conference and have not allowed any goals in the past five games. ISU is currently on a program-tying nine-match win streak while Loyola enters Sunday's game having won seven-straight.
Kickoff at Adelaide Street Field is set for 1 p.m. Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN3. Fans can also follow along with live stats or on Twitter (@Redbird_Soccer) for in-game updates.
Loyola Chicago – What You Need to Know
The Ramblers are on a seven-game win streak and have posted five straight shutouts, to protect their perfect 4-0 record in conference. Most recently, goals from Lindsey Hardiman and Katharine Stephens helped Loyola past Valparaiso, 2-0, this past Wednesday at Loyola Soccer Park. Grace Droessler made a pair of saves in goal.
Freshman Megan Nemec and senior Aleksa Tataryn both have a team-high five goals on the season.
Redbirds vs. Ramblers
Illinois State leads the all-time series with Loyola, 14-5. Last year, the Redbirds defeated the Ramblers, 3-2, during the regular season with Mikayla Unger netting the golden goal in overtime.
Loyola got their revenge, eliminating the 'Birds from postseason with a 2-1 win in the 2018 MVC Championships Semifinals. Unger was also the goal scorer for the Redbirds in that match.
Last Time Out
Senior goalkeeper Haley Smith collected her 24th career shutout in Wednesday's 3-0 victory over conference foe Indiana State to become record holder in all-time shutouts. Sarah LaFayette, Hannah Mueller and Natalie Vaughn-Low all tallied goals in the shutout, with LaFayette and Megan McEachern being credited with an assist each.
Promotions
For each fan in attendance at Sunday's match, a generous group of donors have pledged to contribute $1 directly to the Community Cancer Center. The Redbirds hope to break Adelaide Street Field's all-time attendance record of 1,085 and donate over $1,000 to help make a difference in the Bloomington-Normal community. As always, admission to all regular season home soccer matches is free!
Illinois State will also break out their pink uniforms in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
For all latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
