Illinois State soccer returns home for a Missouri Valley Conference matchup against the Belmont Bruins on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT at Adelaide Street Field. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
QUICK KICKS
• The Redbirds dropped their first conference match of the season on Saturday, falling to league-leader Southern Illinois 1-0.
• Illinois State is the only team in the MVC with three players who have each scored at least four goals.
• ISU leads the MVC in goal differential, scoring nine goals while allowing one in conference play.
• Rylann Law was named the MVC Player of the Week after recording her first career brace (two goals, one assist) against UNI last Sunday. She leads the Redbirds with four assists.
• Maggie Dowling also earned her first career brace against UNI with two goals and an assist.  This marks the first time two Redbirds have recorded multiple goals in the same match since Kate Del Fava and Natalie Vaughn-Low each recorded a brace against Missouri State on Nov. 8, 2019.
• Defender Ava Watson scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season against UNI, making her the first Redbird to reach that mark since Haley Glover scored six goals in 2023
• With her sixth shutout of the season against UNI, goalkeeper Madi Valenti moved into a tie for second in program history with 23 career shutouts.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Saturday's match will be the Redbirds' seventh all-time meeting with the Bruins
• Belmont holds a 3-2-1 advantage in the series.
• The most recent meeting between the two squads ended in a 2-0 loss for the Redbirds on Oct. 30, 2025.
• Illinois State holds a 1-2-0 home record against the Bruins, with the last match in Normal ending in a 2-0 loss in September 2024.
• Belmont holds a 2-6-4 overall record and 1-3 mark in conference play.
• Two Bruins -- Reagan Ross and Laken Whittington -- rank in the top 10 in the MVC in shots and shots per game.
• Lillie Tabor creates offensive opportunities for the Bruins, as she is tied for fifth in the MVC with five assists. She posted a three-assist game against UIC on Sep. 20.
PETRIE'S ALWAYS PLAYING
Defender Grace Petrie never takes a play off. The sophomore has played every single minute of every game this season (13 games, 1170 minutes). She is one of three field players in the MVC this season to have played every minute of every game, joining Abbey Macdonald of Murray State and Izzie Ryan from Evansville.
22 AND COUNTING
ISU has scored 22 total goals this season, which is the most since the Redbirds scored 42 goals over 20 matches in 2019. Nine goals through the first four MVC games are the most for a Redbird squad since netting 12 through the first four conference games in 2019.
DEL FAVA ON THE WORLD STAGE
Former Redbird standout Kate Del Fava received her first senior U.S. Women's National Team call-up, becoming the first player in program history to earn a spot on the senior USWNT roster. On Tuesday night against top-ranked Spain, Del Fava earned her first cap for the US team, coming on as a substitute in the 80th minute. Del Fava helped set up the equalizer in the 86th minute, sending a long ball behind the Spanish back line to forward Michelle Cooper, who ended up laying the ball off to Mallory Swanson, who scored to make it 2-2.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Redbirds' win over UNI extended their home unbeaten streak to 13 games with a 6-0-7 record dating back to last season. It is the third-longest home unbeaten streak in program history. The 13-game home unbeaten streak is tied for the 13th-longest active home unbeaten streak in Division I and the longest in the MVC. With the win over Purdue Fort Wayne, Illinois State completed an unblemished home non-conference season for the first time since 2009.
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