NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's soccer program kicks off its 2025 campaign with a matchup against Lindenwood this Thursday evening at Adelaide Street Field. Kick-off is slated for 6 p.m. and is available to stream on ESPN+.
Thursday's contest with the Lions kicks off the 30th season of Redbird women's soccer after its first season in 1996. Across the three decades, Illinois State has been one of the most successful teams in the MVC. The Redbirds hold the league lead with 11 regular-season titles and are tied with Evansville with a conference-best seven tournament championships.
The matchup with Lindenwood this Thursday marks the second meeting between the two programs and the first since 2022. In the last contest, the Redbirds prevailed with a 5-1 victory at Adelaide Street Field. It's also the 42nd meeting with an Ohio Valley Conference opponent for Illinois State, with the Redbirds holding a 31-8-2 record.
Thursday's game will also be the first of 11 games the Redbirds will host at Adelaide Street Field. The total matches the 2014 season as the most ever home games in a season. In 2014, Illinois State won 10 out of its 11 home contests on its path to an MVC regular season and MVC tournament title.
Thursday also starts head coach Raleigh DeRose's second season at the helm of Illinois State. Last year, DeRose led the Redbirds to their first MVC tournament appearance since 2020-21 and their first win at the tournament since 2019. With the win against No. 6 UNI, Illinois State (No. 7) became the lowest seed to claim a win at the conference tournament ever.Â
This season, the Redbirds return 21 players from the 2024 roster, including eight who played at least 1000 minutes across the 20 games played last year. DeRose also added 11 newcomers, with eight freshmen and three transfers in her 2025 recruiting class.
Sophomore Eiley Henderson returns this season after earning All-Valley Freshman team honors in 2024. Henderson led the Redbirds with three goals and tied with Junior Erika Wells for the team lead with seven points last year. This preseason, Henderson also earned an MVC Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention selection in August.
Alongside Henderson, Redshirt Sophomore Madi Valenti returns for the Redbirds after an impressive freshman campaign in 2024. Valenti appeared in 19 matches for Illinois State, tallying five shutouts and recording 80 saves in 2024, each the most by a Redbird keeper since 2018.
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