NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer secured a 1-0 victory over Drake after an 80th-minute goal from Senior Jade Rehberger, Thursday afternoon at Adelaide Street Field.
Rehberger's goal came in the closing moment of the contest, where the Redbirds took advantage of a corner kick opportunity. After Sophomore Rylie Monohan's shot was blocked, Rehberger found a chance on the rebound to push Illinois State in front. Rehberger's goal marked her first career goal in what was her last career regular-season appearance at Adelaide Street Field. Monohan also earned her first career assist on the goal.
Redshirt Sophomore Madi Valenti earned her 10th shutout of the season, which ties for the most shutouts in an individual season in program history. The Redbirds as a team have tallied 11 shutouts, tying for the second most in school history. Valenti recorded three saves in the game, including a pair of critical saves in the second half. In 11 of the previous 12 contests, Valenti has recorded at least two or more saves.
With the victory, Illinois State remained unbeaten at Adelaide Street Field in conference play for the first time since 2016. In the last nine games, the Redbirds haven't suffered a defeat, which matches the longest streak since 2019. The Redbirds now claim the top spot in the Missouri Valley Conference with 13 points.
In the early minutes of the contest, the Redbirds pressed early to find an opening goal as Senior Sammi Cenek would draw a save from the Bulldogs' goalkeeper in the seventh minute. Senior Abby Hall also had an opportunity with a shot in the 16th minute; however, the contest remained level at 0-0.
Despite the pressure from the Redbirds, the Bulldogs clawed back and reclaimed momentum to close out the first half at 0-0, outpacing the Redbirds with a 5-1 shot total
In the second half, the battle tightened, as leading up to Rehberger's winning goal, the two squads traded scoring opportunities that drew saves from each goalkeeper. Following the winning goal, Drake maintained its pressure as the Bulldogs fought to find an equalizer, but the Redbirds' defense held strong as it fended off four shots from Drake in the last 10 minutes to secure the victory.
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