The Redbird soccer team put up a good fight, but was ultimately bested 4-3 by Iowa on Sunday afternoon. Senior midfielder Kate Del Fava scored all three goals for Illinois State, posting her first career hat trick and second multi-goal match of the season.
Today's result sees the Hawkeyes continue their perfect 4-0-0 start, while the Redbirds slip to 1-3-0.
"Iowa was a great test for us today," said head coach Brad Silvey. "Their physical presence, speed of play, and organization really stretched us and forced us to get better, which is what we need. I'm proud of how our team battled back and worked our way back into the game. We have a lot of great pieces within our team right now, but we need to show a bit more focus and determination to put all our pieces together for a complete performance."
The Redbirds went down a goal immediately, when Iowa redshirt senior forward Kayleigh Haus scored on a header just 47 seconds into the match. Fellow senior Hawkeye Devin Burns added onto that score, when she powered a shot from the top of the box, slotting it just under the crossbar 13 minutes later to make it 2-0.
Del Fava's first goal of the day came in the 22nd minute, the result of an Iowa turnover. Sophomore Hannah Mueller sent a pass into Alix McArthur, who in turn sent a perfectly-placed through ball into a charging Del Fava in the box. The senior midfielder slotted it into the lower left corner of the goal to put the 'Birds on the board and cut the Hawkeye lead in half, 2-1.
Iowa's Gianna Gourley would tally another header for the Hawkeyes minutes later for her second goal of the 2019 campaign.
With just over a minute before halftime, Del Fava notched her second goal off a cross by sophomore Alyssa Siebers to make the score 3-2 going into the break.
Del Fava sealed her hat trick in the 70th minute, beating two defenders to a longball from freshman defender Michaela Kirschten, and then striking it past the goalkeeper who had come off her line. Scoring on all three of her shots today, Del Fava now has five goals off of only seven shots in her senior campaign.
With five goals and 10 points on the season, she currently leads the Missouri Valley Conference in both of those categories.
"Kate was simply special today," said Silvey. "The pressure she fought off to still finish on three occasions was pure magic. Also have to note that three assists came from our bench which is a testament to the depth we are seeing in our roster."
The last time a Redbird soccer player had a hat trick was when both Abby Basler and Lauren Koehl scored three goals each in Illinois State's 10-0 shutout of Chicago State on Oct. 1, 2016.
Iowa outshot Illinois State 22-7 and 11-4 in shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Haley Smith posted a season-high seven saves in goal for the Redbirds, improving her total to 23 saves through four games played.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds are back at Adelaide Street Field for a four-game homestand, beginning with Northern Illinois on Friday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. The team will also celebrate Local Heroes Night on that evening, honoring all local heroes and veterans in the community.
For all latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).
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