Illinois State soccer returns home for a Senior Day matchup with Indiana State on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Adelaide Street Field. Admission is free for all fans. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
QUICK KICKS
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The Redbirds hopped back on the winning track with a 1-0 shutout victory over Belmont on Thursday evening, snapping their two-game losing streak to the Bruins.
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The shutout marked the Redbirds' seventh of the season, tying for the 10th-most in a single season in program history.
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Illinois State extended its home unbeaten streak to 14 games, moving into sole possession of third place in program history and tying for the eighth-longest active home unbeaten streak in Division I.
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Valenti reached two career milestones in the win over Belmont. She appeared in her 55th career game in goal to move into sole possession of fourth place in program history and recorded her 24th career shutout to rank second all-time at Illinois State.
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Illinois State will honor 11 student-athletes as the Redbirds celebrate Senior Day prior to Sunday's tilt with Indiana State.
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ISU leads the MVC in goal differential during conference play, scoring 10 goals while allowing one in conference play.
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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
SERIES BREAKDOWN
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Saturday's match will be the Redbirds' 33rd all-time meeting with the Sycamores.
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Illinois State holds a 22-9-1 advantage in the series.
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The most recent meeting between the two squads ended in a 1-0 loss for the Redbirds on Oct. 26, 2025.
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Illinois State holds a 13-3-0 home record against Indiana State, with the last match in Normal ending in a 3-1 victory in October 2024.
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Indiana State holds a 7-2-5 overall record and 2-1-2 mark in conference play.
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Indiana State ranks 13th in the nation and first in the MVC with a +22 goal differential in all games.
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The Sycamores also rank top-20 in the country in assists per game (2.43), total assists (34), shot accuracy (0.541) and shots on goal per game (8.00).
SENIOR DAY
Eleven Illinois State student-athletes will be honored for Senior Day prior to the Redbirds' match with Indiana State on Sunday at Adelaide Street Field: Mikayla Carkhuff, Sammi Cenek, Chandler Huffman, Jordan Gary, Aniya Seymore, Sophia Skoubis, Josie Spann, Madi Valenti, Ava Watson, Erika Wells and Ashley Wolfe. This group has combined for 22,834 minutes and 401 appearances on the pitch in a Redbird uniform.
MILESTONES FOR MADI
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Madi Valenti appeared in her 55th career game in goal on Thursday to move into sole possession of fourth place in program history.
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Valenti recorded her 24th career shutout against Belmont to rank second all-time at Illinois State.
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Her nine saves against Belmont are a season-high and tied for seventh most in a single game in program history.
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Valenti ranks 14th in the nation and first in the MVC with seven shutouts.
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She ranks 19th in Division I and first in the conference with an .867 save percentage, which would rank as the fourth-best save percentage in a single season in program history if the season ended today.
SO NICE IT HAPPENED TWICE
Grace Petrie's game-winning goal in the 40th minute against Belmont on Thursday was eerily similar to her first goal of the season against UT Martin. Both of her scores this year have come on headers into the left of the net off a corner kick from Eve Gricius at the far post.
SHUTOUTS LEADERBOARD
Goalkeeper Madi Valenti recently moved into sole possession of second place in program history after shutting out the Belmont Bruins on Thursday. She is just the fourth Redbird in program history to amass 20 career shutouts.
26 - Haley Smith ..........................................2016-19
24 - Madi Valent...................................2024-Present
23 - Becky Feldmann...................................1997-00
22 - Aryn Newsom.......................................2010-14
17 - Allison Farrington..................................2001-03
HOME SWEET HOME
The Redbirds' win over Belmont extended their home unbeaten streak to 14 games with a 7-0-7 record dating back to last season. It is the third-longest home unbeaten streak in program history.
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The 14-game home unbeaten streak is tied for the eighth-longest active home unbeaten streak in Division I and the longest in the MVC.
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With the win over Purdue Fort Wayne, Illinois State completed an unblemished home non-conference season for the first time since 2009.
PETRIE'S ALWAYS PLAYING
Defender Grace Petrie never takes a play off. The sophomore has played every single minute of every game this season (14 games, 1260 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.
23 AND COUNTING
ISU has scored 23 total goals this season, which is the most since the Redbirds scored 42 goals over 20 matches in 2019. Ten goals through the first five MVC games are the most for a Redbird squad since netting 13 through the first five conference games in 2019.
