NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer team is set to resume Missouri Valley Conference competition with a Saturday matchup against Southern Illinois. The match will be streamed on ESPN3.
WHEN: Saturday, September 25 at 6:00 p.m. CT
WHERE: Normal, Ill., Adelaide Street Field
OPPONENT: Southern Illinois (ISU leads all-time series, which began in 2012, 2-0)
VIDEO FEED: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=e1291792-aacd-4256-9796-0af7daec05fc
LIVE STATS: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=355088
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois State leads the all-time series, 1-0, outscoring the Salukis by a 3-0 margin. The teams are meeting in Normal for the first time on Saturday as the lone meeting in series history was on 4/3/2021 in Carbondale.
LAST TIME OUT (VS TOLEDO)
The 'Birds fell, 1-0, to Toledo on Sunday in overtime in a wild finish that saw redshirt junior Priya Gillan save a PK with 1:09 left in regulation after a hotly-contested call against Gillan resulted in a Toledo PK. ISU was outshot by Toledo, 11-10, but ISU didn't have a SOG. Junior Allison Baker had a shot graze off the crossbar late in the second half.
The Redbirds will be without freshman midfielder Sydney Smith, who has started the team's last five games, on Saturday after she received a second yellow 2:25 into overtime. Smith had received a yellow card during halftime.
TWO WITH THREE-PLUS
Fifth-year senior Natalie Vaughn-Low is tied for second in the MVC with four goals while senior Riley O'Brien is tied for the fifth with three. Illinois State is the only team in the MVC with two players with three-plus goals.
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
The Redbirds are off to a rough 0-5 start at Adelaide Street Field, their worst start at home in program history. Conversely, the Salukis, which are in their third season as a program, have yet to ever record a road win. SIU enters Saturday's match with an 18-match winless streak, having last won in its final match of 2019.
PROMOTIONAL NOTES
- MILITARY APPRECIATION NIGHT: The team will honor Army Ranger Sgt. Josh Rodgers, who passed away in April 2017 in the Nangarhar Province. Joshua's sister, former Illinois State soccer player Hannah Rodgers, and her family will be in attendance and present the game ball before the match.
- ROTC: For the national anthem, the ROTC will be doing a large flag presentation on the field. The Victory Bell will also be in attendance and will be rung every time the Redbirds score.
- Shirtember Giveaway: This game is the last Shirtember event of the year. Camo T-shirts will be given to the first 100 students in attendance.
- Kids Club Giveaway: Reggie Kids Club members will receive a clear backpack giveaway.
- Concessions: This game will be offering a popcorn combo special: Regular Popcorn + Beer = $7; Kids Popcorn + Lemonade = $3
For all latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook) and @RedbirdSoccer on Instagram.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
