The Illinois State women's soccer team has released the schedule for the upcoming 2019 season, as announced Wednesday morning. Head coach Brad Silvey will be entering his third season at the helm of the Redbirds, after leading Illinois State to the semifinals of the Missouri Valley Conference Soccer Championships during the 2018 campaign.
"This is an exciting schedule that boasts eight different conferences, eight different states and many first-time matchups," said Silvey. "Seeing a diverse mixture of style and competition scattered across various regions will be paramount in preparation for a solid MVC schedule. Our team's work rate, investment and growth was tremendous throughout the spring semester and everyone is eager to hit the ground running in August."
Once again, the soccer squad will kick-off the Illinois State Athletics' fall sports schedule, as the 'Birds host SIUE in exhibition for the first home sporting event of the year. Kickoff at Adelaide Street Field is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Redbirds will play only one more exhibition match, taking place at Butler on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Illinois State will begin their season on the road, with the season opener set for Aug. 23 at Omaha. The 'Birds will remain away for three more non-conference games at UMKC (Aug. 25), Ball State (Aug. 29) and Big Ten opponent Iowa (Sept. 1), before returning to the nest on Sept. 6.
The home opener versus Northern Illinois will also be the first game of a four-game, two-weekend homestand. The team will take on Northern Illinois on Friday, Sept. 6 and then a familiar foe in Illinois on Sunday, Sept. 8. The next weekend touts a Friday face-off with Utah State (Sept. 13) followed by a Sunday afternoon matinee with Western Illinois on Sept. 15.
The 'Birds will then flock south to the Sunshine State for a pair of matches against Atlantic Sun Conference opponents North Florida (Sept. 20) and Stetson (Sept. 22), before returning to the Midwest for the start of Missouri Valley Conference play. This will be the first meeting in program history between Illinois State and both Florida programs.
The Redbirds' MVC slate is set to begin Sept. 28 as Illinois State will travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to face UNI in their conference opener. The group will return home to host Evansville at Adelaide Street Field on Oct. 6, before hitting the road for their final non-conference match with IUPUI on Oct. 8. Trips to Valparaiso (Oct. 12) and Indiana State (Oct. 16) will be followed by a home game versus the reigning MVC champions Loyola Chicago on Oct. 20. The 'Birds will round out the year with a trip to Missouri State (Oct. 25), before hosting Drake (Oct. 31) for the regular-season finale.
Illinois State returns 22 of 24 players from the 2018 campaign that ended in the MVC Championships semifinals, as well as 10 starters. The first team All-MVC midfield duo of Kate Del Fava and Abby Basler are among the returning, as well as forward Mikayla Unger and midfielder Ashley Santos, who received All-MVC honorable mention nods. Goalkeeper Haley Smith also returns after being recognized as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week twice during the 2018 season, as she continues to close in on the Illinois State all-time saves record.
All Redbird soccer regular-season home matches are FREE and open to the public.
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