Redbirds Earn Third Straight Draw In 1-1 Tie With Murray State To Open MVC Play

NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer opened its Missouri Valley Conference slate with a 1-1 draw with Murray State Thursday evening at Adelaide Street Field. 

The first half of the contest was a tight-knit battle, as in the opening 25 minutes of the game, each team would share a pair of shots. In the 30th minute, Murray State would find an opening on a counter-attack that would lead to the first goal of the matchup as the Racers would take a 1-0 lead.

As the half came to a close, the Redbirds would push to find an equalizer before entering the break. In the closing seconds of the half, Illinois State would find an opportunity with a corner kick. Sophomore Kaya Durkee delivered a ball into the box that would deflect off of Murray State defender into the back of the net to level the game at 1-1 with just four seconds left in the half.

In the second half, each squad pressed for a game-winning goal but was unable to find one. Despite a 9-3 shot advantage to the Racers in the second half, the Redbirds shut down any threat from Murray State, including a crucial save from Redshirt Sophomore Madi Valenti in the 86th minute to keep the game level at 1-1.

Thursday's draw marks the third consecutive draw for Illinois State, the first time in program history that the Redbirds have accomplished the feat. For the third season in a row, Illinois State has drawn in its conference opener.

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