NORMAL, Ill. – No. 4 Illinois State soccer will open postseason play in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament Sunday afternoon as it hosts No. 5 Southern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
The Redbirds enter the MVC tournament as the No. 4 seed after clinching a postseason bid for the second consecutive season, for the first time since 2020-21. Illinois State's No. 4 seed marks the highest seed for the Redbirds in five seasons. Last year in the MVC tournament, the Redbirds became the first No. 7 seed and the lowest seed ever to win at the conference tournament with a 1-0 victory over UNI.
Illinois State finished the regular season with a 6-6-7 record, including a 3-2-4 record in MVC play. The Redbirds lost 2-0 to Belmont in the Music City in their last outing.
Redshirt Sophomore Madi Valenti tallied two saves in the meeting with the Bruins and now sits with 153 career saves. Valenti needs just two saves to move to fifth in program history for individual career saves.
Sunday's meeting with the Salukis marks the seventh meeting all-time between the two programs, with Illinois State holding a 4-1-1 advantage, including an unbeaten record at Adelaide Street Field. The two programs met earlier in the 2025 campaign as Illinois State prevailed 2-0 with goals from Sophomores Danica Key and Rylie Monohan.
The Salukis travel to Normal for the second occasion this season after falling 1-0 to Drake in their regular-season finale on Thursday. Southern Illinois sits with a 10-5-3 record after going 4-4-1 in conference play.
Graeme Orr leads the opposition in his third season at the helm. This season Orr guided the Salukis to their second consecutive postseason appearance and their highest win total in school history. Senior forward Dana Nadda leads the Salukis with six goals this season, which ranks fourth in the MVC.
TICKET INFORMATION
Fans can purchase tickets online at goredbirds.com, contact the Redbird Ticket Office at 432-8000, or at the gate of entry ahead of Sunday's contest. The first 50 students in attendance will earn free entry to the game.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos, and more.
