NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State soccer weathered relentless pressure from Saint Louis for nearly 90 minutes Thursday night, but the Billikens found a late equalizer to send the contest to a 1-1 draw at Adelaide Street Field.

"I think what's really important to stress is that we've grown a lot as a program," said ISU head coach Raleigh DeRose. "At the same time, if we can just get a little bit better, we're right there in the race. We're really talented, not just in the region, but in the country. So, we build on this, and we're excited to continue to get better, both at home and on the road, and get ready for conference play. That's why we schedule these difficult teams, to get ready for conference. We have to learn from this moment, but I think what we also learned is that we're right there." 

The Redbirds struck early, taking a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute. Rylann Law played a ball to Mikayla Carkhuff near the top right of the box, and Carkhuff fired a shot into the top left corner of the net for her second career goal and first as a Redbird.

From there, Saint Louis controlled possession and put the Redbirds under pressure throughout the match. The Billikens finished with a 17-5 advantage in shots and earned five corner kicks compared to none for Illinois State.

Despite the sustained pressure, Illinois State's defense continued to keep Saint Louis off the scoreboard. Goalkeeper Madi Valenti made five saves on the night, including four in the second half as the Redbirds protected their one-goal advantage.

Saint Louis increased its pressure after the break, outshooting Illinois State 12-1 in the second half. Still, the Redbirds continued to hold the Billikens at bay until the 88th minute, when the Billikens scored from a tough angle to even the match at 1-1.

Neither team could find a winner in the final two minutes. 

The result marks the second consecutive season the Redbirds and Billikens have played to a draw after the teams finished in a 0-0 tie last season. 

UP NEXT 

Illinois State returns to action Sunday, hosting Purdue Fort Wayne at Adelaide Street Field at 1 p.m.