Birds Eye Valpo, Murray State This Week

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer (2-7-2, 0-2-1 MVC) kicks off the month of October with a home contest Thursday against Valparaiso (4-7-0, 0-3-0 MVC) and a Sunday road trip to Murray State (4-4-3, 0-1-2 MVC). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPN+. 

SERIES HISTORY 

The Redbirds lead Valparaiso 7-3-0 all-time in a series that dates back to 1997, Illinois State's second year of women's soccer. The last two meetings in the series have been ties, after a 1-1 result last season in Valparaiso and a scoreless draw at Adelaide Street Field in 2022. 

The series is even at 2-2-2 since the Beacons joined the MVC in 2017. 

Illinois State will look to secure its first win over Murray State Sunday. The Racers joined the MVC in 2022, which set up the first ever meeting between the programs in 2022. The Racers won 2-0 last season in Normal and 7-3 in Murray back in 2022. 

YOUTH MOVEMENT 

Maggie Dowling became the sixth freshman to start for Illinois State this season when she cracked the lineup at Drake Sunday. It's the first time since at least 2014 that six different true freshmen have started a match for Illinois State in a single season. 

At Illinois Aug. 25 the Redbirds started five true freshmen as Eiley Henderson, Chloe Cline, Isabelle Cameron, Kennedy Herman and Eve Gricius all got the nod. It marked just the second time since 2014 that Illinois State has started five true freshmen in a single game. In a 2017 scoreless draw at No.19 Marquette the Redbirds started Sarah LaFayette, Natalie Vaughn-Low, Ashley Santos, Jessica Denney and Alissa Ramsden, who were all true freshmen at the time.   

CLEAN SHEETS  

The Redbirds earned their third shutout of the season at Southern Illinois, which have all come on the road with Madi Valenti in net. The performance Thursday tied former Redbird Priya Gillan (2021) for the most shutouts by a Redbird in a single season since 2019. It is also the first time Illinois State has tallied three road shutouts in a single season since the 2019 campaign.    

It is the first time since 2021 that Illinois State has tallied multiple shutouts on the road.  

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