Normal, Ill. - Freshman Kelsi McLaughlin's 87th-minute game winner lifted Illinois State Soccer (2-6-0, 0-0-0 MVC) over Western Illinois (1-3-3, 0-0-0) Sunday, sealing a second consecutive win for the Redbirds and their first road victory of the year.
McLaughlin's goal goes down as the first game winner of her collegiate career and her second tally in as many games. Hillary Griffin played the ball into the box from the far side and Allison Baker's header redirected the ball to McLaughlin.
Illinois State erased a 1-0 deficit with a pair of goals over the final 20 minutes of play. It was the first time this year the Redbirds have come from behind to win a game.
The Redbirds found an equalizer in the 78th minute as Baker scored her third goal over the last two games. Freshman Sammi Cenek recorded her first-career assist to set up the goal in the run of play. Baker then beat the goalkeeper far side to level the match at 1-1.
Illinois State dominated possession and shot count for much of the match despite trailing the Leathernecks 1-0. Illinois State finished the afternoon with a 25-11 edge in shots and a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Redbirds set season highs for shots (25), shots on goal, (12) and corner kicks (9) in the win over Western Illinois.
McLaughlin and Baker finished the day with five shots to lead Illinois State.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds head to the Windy City for their MVC opener Sep. 18 at UIC. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+ or ESPN3.
