ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Illinois State women's soccer goalkeeper Madi Valenti was named the Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive season, headlining a group of four Redbirds recognized with All-MVC honors.
Valenti becomes the first goalkeeper in program history to earn the conference's top goalkeeper honor in consecutive seasons and the fifth goalkeeper since the award's inception in 2011 to receive the distinction multiple times. She was also named to the All-MVC First Team for the second straight season.
Valenti has started all 18 matches this season and played every available minute, totaling 1,620 minutes. Her playing time leads all MVC goalkeepers and ranks 27th nationally. She finished the regular season with eight shutouts, including her 25th career shutout, which ranks second in Illinois State history and fifth in MVC history.
Valenti leads the conference and ranks 26th nationally with a .850 save percentage. She also ranks second in the MVC and 31st nationally with a 0.667 goals-against average. She earned MVC Goalkeeper of the Week honors twice this season on Sept. 22 and Oct. 20.
Joining Valenti on the All-MVC First Team are defenders Ava Watson and Grace Petrie. The three selections mark the 68th, 69th and 70th first-team honors in program history.
Watson earns her third career conference honor after receiving All-MVC Second Team recognition in 2024 and All-Freshman Team honors in 2023. The Dublin, Ohio, native has started all 18 matches this season, recording five goals and three assists while making an impact on both ends of the field.
Watson's five goals lead the Redbirds, making her the first Illinois State player to reach that mark since Haley Glover scored six in 2023. She is also the first Redbird defender to score at least five goals in a season since Heather Forsyth recorded eight in 2005. Additionally, Watson is the only defender in the MVC this season with at least five goals.
Petrie earns her first All-MVC First Team selection after being named to the conference's All-Freshman Team last season. The sophomore defender has been a constant presence in the Redbird back line, playing every minute of every match this season (18 matches, 1,620 minutes).
Petrie is one of just four field players in the MVC to play every available minute this season, joining Abbey Macdonald of Murray State and Izzie Ryan and Lindley Amick of Evansville.
Rylann Law was named to the All-MVC Second Team, earning her second consecutive conference honor after being selected to the All-Freshman Team last season. Law has started all 18 matches and recorded four goals and four assists. She ranks second in the conference in both total shots and shots per game. Law recorded her first career brace this season against UNI, scoring twice and adding two assists as part of Illinois State's six-goal offensive effort in the match.
Illinois State will begin its postseason campaign as the No. 3 seed in the MVC Tournament, hosting No. 6 Evansville on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT at Adelaide Street Field.
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