NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State soccer will welcome UT Martin to Adelaide Street Field on Sunday, with kickoff set for 6 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed on ESPN+. Admission is free for all fans.
SERIES BREAKDOWN
-
Thursday's match will be the Redbirds' second all-time meeting against the Skyhawks.
-
Illinois State holds a 1-0 record in the series, winning the first-ever matchup between the two programs 1-0 on Aug. 31, 2025.
-
UT Martin holds a 1-0-2 record this season with a 4-0 win over Chicago State and draws against Cattanooga and Middle Tennesee.
-
All five of the Skyhawk's goals this season have came in the second period. UT Martin has attempted 23 of its 37 total shots in the final 45 minutes of game time.
-
Unni Wolf leads the Skyhawks with two goals this season, while three of her teammates have each scored one.
BEST START SINCE 2014
With Illinois State's shutout win over Lindenwood on Thursday, the Redbirds have started a season 2-0 for the first time since ISU won the first three games of the 2014 campaign.
-
In Raleigh DeRose's first season at the helm in 2024, the Redbirds started out 1-0-1.
-
Thursday marked Madi Valenti's 18th career shutout, moving her into sole possession of fourth place in program history.
TWO GAMES, TWO GOALS FOR RYLANN
Through two games, Rylann Law has scored two goals, already half as many goals as she had in all 22 contests last season.
-
The sophomore is the only MVC player to score in the first two games of their team's season this year and the first in the conference to score in back-to-back matches.
-
She is the first Redbird to score in consecutive games to start the season since Riley O'Brien scored in the first three games in 2021.
CAREER SHUTOUTS LEADERBOARD
Goalkeeper Madi Valenti is working her way up the program record book in career shutouts, recently moving into sole possession of fourth place with 18.
1.    26 - Haley Smith, 2016-19
2.    23 - Becky Feldmann, 1997-00
3.    22 - Aryn Newsom, 2010-14
4.    18 - Madi Valenti, 2024-Present
5.    17 - Allison Farrington, 2001-03
6.    13 - Sasha Reiber, 2008-09
7.    10 - Andrea Shaw, 2003-06
8.    8 - Katie Grill-Donovan, 2006-09
9.    6 - Mara Kremenovic, 2010-12
         Priya Gillan, 2018-21
CAREER SAVES LEADERBOARD
Goalkeeper Madi Valenti is also climbing the record books in career saves, needing two more to move into fifth all-time in school history.
1.    341 - Becky Feldmann, 1997-00
2.    337 - Haley Smith, 2016-19
3.    301 - Aryn Newsom, 2010-14
4.    199 - Andrea Shaw, 2003-06
5.    173 - Kristi Elliott, 1996
6.    172 - Madi Valenti, 2024-Present
7.    154 - Allison Farrington, 2001-03
8.    122 - Katie Grill-Donovan, 2006-09
9.    106 - Mara Kremenovic, 2010-12
10.   81 - Erica Goethel, 2004-06
TEJADA JERSEY RETIREMENT
Illinois State soccer legend Rachel Tejada will have her No. 14 jersey retired on Oct. 4 when the Redbirds host UNI, alongside ISU's annual Julie Heidecke/Alumni celebration.
-
Tejada's No. 14 will be the second number in Illinois State soccer history to be retired, alongside the twelfth Redbird on the field, Heidecke's No. 13.
-
The four-year letterwinner for the Redbirds is the only player in Missouri Valley Conference history to be named Conference Player of the Year four times.
-
In her Redbird career, Tejada helped Illinois State earn three MVC regular-season championships and secure four straight MVC tournament titles.
-
Tejada still holds the Redbird and MVC career records for goals (74), assists (42) and points (190).
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.Â
