Illinois State soccer closes out its regular season slate on Thursday as the Redbirds welcome Valparaiso to Adelaide Street Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
QUICK KICKS
• The Redbirds are coming off a 1-0 loss to the Drake Bulldogs in a physical, fast-paced matchup last Sunday in Des Moines, Iowa.
• With one regular season game remaining, the Redbirds currently sit third in the MVC standings with 14 points, six points behind Drake and seven points behind Southern Illinois. The Redbirds are guaranteed to earn either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the MVC Tournament and host the quarterfinals on Sunday at Adelaide Street Field.
• Illinois State earned a 2-2 draw against Evansville on Oct. 25, in which the Redbirds scored twice in the final six minutes. The draw marked Illinois State's first time overcoming a 2-0 deficit to earn a result since Sept. 22, 2019, when the Redbirds rallied for a 3-2 win over Stetson.
• Dadekian's three penalty kicks this season lead the MVC and are also tied for the most in a single season in Illinois State history, marking the program's highest single-season total since Annie Wayland recorded three in 2001.
• Illinois State extended its home unbeaten streak to 15 games, moving into sole possession of third place in program history and the ninth-longest active home unbeaten streak in Division I as of Nov. 2.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
• Thursday's match will be the Redbirds' 14th all-time meeting with the Beacons.
• Illinois State holds an 8-3-2 advantage in the series.
• Illinois State holds a 4-2-1 home record against Valparaiso, with the last match in Normal ending in a 2-1 Redbird victory on Oct. 3, 2024.
• Three of the last four matchups between the two squads have ended in draws, including two scoreless ties.
• Valparaiso holds a 6-8-3 overall record and a 2-4-2 mark in conference play this season.
• Martha Goddard and Kiara Desiderio lead the Beacons' attacking front. Goddard leads the league with a 0.692 shot accuracy and 1.59 shots on goal per game, while Desiderio leads the Valley with 3.59 shots per game.
• Head coach John Marovich holds Valpo's all-time records for victories and winning percentage.
WHERE DO THE BIRDS STAND?
With one regular-season game remaining, Illinois State sits third in the MVC standings with 14 points, six behind Drake and seven behind Southern Illinois. The Redbirds have secured either the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and are guaranteed to host the MVC quarterfinals on Sunday at Adelaide Street Field. The Redbirds control their destiny, with a win or tie against Valparaiso securing them the No. 3 seed. Illinois State could play one of these four teams in the quarterfinals: Indiana State, Belmont, Valparaiso and Evansville.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Redbirds hold a home unbeaten streak of 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 the ninth-longest active home unbeaten streak in Division I and the longest in the MVC as of Nov. 2.
• 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 (17 games, 1530 minutes). She is one of four field players in the MVC this season to have played every minute of every game, joining Abbey Macdonald of Murray State and Izzie Ryan and Lindley Amick from Evansville.
WATSON DOES IT ALL
Ava Watson is the definition of a two-way player, with her presence felt on both sides of the ball all season long for the Redbirds Watson, a defender out of Dublin, Ohio, scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season, making her the first Redbird to reach that mark since Haley Glover scored six goals in 2023.
• She is the first ISU defender to reach five goals in a season since Heather Forsyth scored eight in 2005.
• She is the only defender in the MVC this season with at least five goals.
• Along with her goal-scoring ability, Watson's stout defense has helped ISU to seven total shutouts this season, including a stretch of three straight against MVC opponents.
