NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer is set to travel to Nashville to close out the 2025 regular season in a matchup with Belmont Thursday afternoon at E.S. Rose Park. Kick off is scheduled for 1 p.m., and will be available to watch on ESPN+.
The Redbirds enter Thursday's meeting against Belmont, currently sitting as the No. 4 seed for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, and locked in for postseason play after punching its ticket in the 1-0 win over Drake. Based on how the results play out on Thursday, the Redbirds could move as high as the No. 2 seed but no lower than the No. 5 seed.
Illinois State looks to rebound in the Volunteer State after suffering its first defeat in conference play this season in a 1-0 loss against Indiana State. The defeat snapped the Redbirds' nine-game unbeaten streak, which was the longest since 2019. In the previous six games, Illinois State recorded a shutout, marking the longest streak in program history. The Redbirds are one of four teams in the entire country to record a shutout in six or more games this season.
In Sunday's defeat, Redshirt Sophomore Madi Valenti tallied seven saves in the contest, marking the third time this season she has recorded seven or more saves. Valenti now sits two saves shy of moving to fifth in program history for individual career saves.
Belmont enters Thursday's contest after falling to UIC, 3-0, Sunday afternoon in Chicago, Ill. The Bruins are led by third-year head coach Kelsey Cameron. Cameron, a former player at Kentucky, helped lead the Bruins to a nine-win campaign last season, which marked the highest win total for the program since 2017.
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