Illinois State women's soccer heads to Evansville, Indiana, for a matchup with the Evansville Purple Aces on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Arad McCutchan Stadium. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
QUICK KICKS
• With three regular season games remaining, the Redbirds (9-2-4, 4-1-1 MVC) currently sit third in the MVC standings with 13 points, two points behind Southern Illinois and one point behind Drake.
• The Redbirds are coming off a 1-1 draw with Indiana State on Sunday. Bloomington-Normal native Sosi Dadekian converted her second PK of the season in the 84th minute to even the match.
• Illinois State extended its home unbeaten streak to 15 games, moving into sole possession of third place in program history and tying for the fifth-longest active home unbeaten streak in Division I as of Oct. 20.
• Madi Valenti earned her second MVC Goalkeeper of the Week honor of the season after recording 16 saves and one shutout over the Redbirds' two contests last week against Belmont (season-high nine saves, W, 1-0) and Indiana State (seven saves, T, 1-1). This marks the fifth weekly honor for the Redbirds this season.
• The shutout over the Belmont Bruins marked the Redbirds' seventh of the season, leading the MVC and ranking 20th in the nation.
• 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.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Saturday's match will be the Redbirds' 37th all-time meeting with the Purple Aces.
• Illinois State holds a 21-9-6 advantage in the series.
• The most recent meeting between the two squads ended in a scoreless tie on Oct. 5, 2025.
• Illinois State holds an 8-7 away record against Evansville, with the last match in Indiana ending in a 1-0 Redbird victory on Oct. 17, 2024.
• The Purple Aces hold a 4-6-1 overall record and 2-4 mark in conference play.
• Evansville goalkeeper Brianna Chirpich ranks 35th in the nation and second in the MVC with 5.50 saves per match.
• Evansville ranks in the top five in the MVC in game-winning goals (3), points per game (1.18) and shot accuracy (.500), providing a spark for the Purple Aces offense.
SOSI FROM THE SPOT
On Sunday against Indiana State, defender Sosi Dadekian converted her second penalty kick of the season in the 84th minute to even the match at one. Illinois State's two penalty kicks lead the MVC.
• The last time the Redbirds converted two penalty kicks in a season was in 2019 against Missouri State and UNI.
• Dadekian is the first Redbird to convert two penalty kicks in a season since Hannah Rodgers in 2015.Â
WHERE DO THE BIRDS STAND?
With three regular season games remaining, the Redbirds currently sit third in the MVC standings with 13 points, two points behind Southern Illinois and one point behind Drake. The top six teams in the league make the conference tournament, with the top two-seeds earning a bye into the semifinals. Drake and Southern Illinois match up this Sunday in Carbondale, Illinois, while Illinois State plays Drake next Sunday, Nov. 1, in Des Moines, Iowa.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Redbirds' draw with Indiana State extended their home unbeaten streak to 15 games with a 7-0-8 record dating back to last season. It is the third-longest home unbeaten streak in program history.
• The 15-game home unbeaten streak is tied for the fifth-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.
MILESTONES FOR MADI
• Madi Valenti appeared in her 55th career game in goal last Thursday to move into sole possession of fourth place in program history.
• Valenti recorded her 24th career shutout against Belmont to rank second all-time at Illinois State.
• Her nine saves against Belmont are a season-high and tied for seventh most in a single game in program history.
• Valenti ranks 20th in the nation and first in the MVC with seven shutouts.
• She ranks 19th in Division I and first in the conference with an .868 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
