Murray, KY – Seniors Katharine Ashley and Katherine Felton netted their first goals of the season, but Illinois State Soccer fell 7-3 Sunday on the road at Murray State.
The Redbirds battled back from a 3-0 deficit to pull within a goal in the second half as Felton scored in the 51st minute, but Murray State closed the match with three unanswered goals to pull away from Illinois State for the win.
Illinois State snapped a lengthy scoreless skid with three goals on Sunday as junior Haley Glover scored off a rebound chance inside the box in the 25th minute. Felton's initial shot bounced to Glover near the far post, and she put it way for the first Redbird goal since September 11. It was Glover's third goal of the year, which moves her into a tie for the team lead.
Illinois State put another dent in the Racer lead as Ashley scored her first-career goal in the 36th minute. Kelsi McLaughlin drew a foul inside the box, setting up a penalty kick for Ashley. She buried it in the bottom right corner to trim the deficit to 4-2 at halftime.
It marked Illinois State's first penalty kick goal since November of 2019, when MVC Player of the year Kate Del Fava put away a PK in a 4-3 MVC Tournament win over Missouri State. The Redbirds had been 0-for-2 on penalty kicks since Del Fava's in 2019.
The Redbirds opened the second half with a strong offensive sequence leading to Felton's goal. Allison Baker played a cross into the box to set up the chance while Ashley's header redirected the ball to Felton and she finished at the doorstep.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds take a week off before a road tilt at Southern Illinois next Sunday at 1 p.m.
