NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State soccer team (2-4, 2-2 MVC) will make the trip to the Windy City this weekend to take on top-ranked Loyola Chicago (3-0-1, 3-0-1 MVC) on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT for the Ramblers' first game back home at Loyola Soccer Park in 512 days.
Sunday's match will be streamed on ESPN3 and live stats will be available. Fans can also follow along with live in-game updates on Twitter (@Redbird_Soccer).
Last Time Out
After winning their first two in Missouri Valley Conference play, the 'Birds will look to rebound from a pair of losses last week to Drake, 0-1, and Indiana State, 0-2. The last time ISU lost back-to-back league matches was in 2018, falling to Drake and Valpo on Sept. 29 and Oct. 8, respectively.
Leading the Valley
Seniors Ashley Santos and Abby Basler have both tallied three goals on the year to tie for the most in the league. Basler also leads the conference in points (7), shots (21) and shots on goal (10).
Series History
ISU leads the all-time series with Loyola, 14-7, but the Ramblers have held the advantage lately, winning the last three in the series.
The Redbirds most recently met the Ramblers in the 2019 MVC Championship title game back in Nov. 2019. Loyola's Sienna Cruz and Lindsey Hardiman each found the back of the net in that game to lead the Ramblers 2-0 over the Redbirds and clinch its second consecutive sweep of the MVC regular season and tournament titles.
Loyola Chicago – What You Need to Know
The Ramblers are coming off a 1-0 victory at Valpo last Saturday, in which freshman Madeleine Barone notched her first collegiate goal. Loyola outshot the Crusaders 23-1 on the day and did not allow any shots on goal. Junior defender Aly Kilburg was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in Loyola's shutout wins last week.
For all latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook).
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