No. 2 Illinois State (14-5, 6-1 MVC) defeated No. 3 Missouri State (11-5-2, 4-2-1 MVC) in a 4-3 overtime thriller on Friday afternoon to end the Bears' season and advance to the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship.
The championship match is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10 in Springfield, Mo. The Redbirds await the winner of top-seeded Loyola Chicago and No. 4 Drake who play later tonight.
Kate Del Fava and Natalie Vaughn-Low both tallied two goals and an assist in the match. Vaughn-Low scored the game-winning golden goal in overtime to send the 'Birds to the final.
"The win tonight was tremendous," said head coach Brad Silvey. "Being able to play in a championship-caliber game and find a way to get the win, regardless of how it comes, is obviously big-time for us. At the end of the day, our team effort and willingness to battle even when our backs were up against the wall is special."
The Redbirds struck early, as Del Fava, the recently-named MVC Player of the Year, received a through ball from Vaughn-Low and sidestepped the MSU goalkeeper to score on an open net.
Seven minutes later, an Abby Basler corner kick resulted in a second goal for the Redbirds. Basler sent it in and Del Fava got a head on it, redirecting it towards goal. Vaughn-Low then pounced on it and knocked it in to put the 'Birds up 2-0.
Missouri State's Kennady Orlick would put the Bears on the board in the 34th minute to cut into the Redbirds' lead and make the score 2-1 at the half.
Senior goalkeeper Haley Smith came up big for the 'Birds numerous times in the win, but particularly in the 51st minute when she made a diving save to stop a Missouri State penalty kick. The senior had five saves on the day, four of which came in the second half.
Del Fava drew a foul in the 68th minute in the box and converted the penalty kick to complete her brace. The senior now has 17 goals and five assists on the season, bringing her to 39 points.
Missouri State's Lauren Fisher and Unner Bergsdottir scored in the 72nd and 80th minutes, respectively, to tie the game up at 3-3 by the end of regulation.
Vaughn-Low proved the hero for Illinois State, striking from just outside the box and sending a rocket to the top left corner in overtime to end the game and Missouri State's season in one shot. Vaughn-Low's second goal of the game was her seventh of the year. The junior has now collected 19 points in just 13 appearances this season.
"Del Fava was fantastic with the goals and her assists – she also created the penalty as well," said Silvey. "Natalie was a great supplement to that too, scoring the gamewinner in such a special fashion. Haley played awesome as well, coming up time and time again to keep our season alive."
Smith, Ashley Santos, Alissa Ramsden and Megan McEachern all played the full 95 minutes for the Redbirds.
Post-game interviews from Silvey and Vaughn-Low can be found below.
UP NEXT:
The Redbirds will play in the MVC championship match on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. in Springfield, Mo. It will be their first appearance in the title game since they won the 2016 tournament.
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