Peyton Willie enters her second season as an assistant coach for Illinois State soccer in 2026.

Willie was promoted to the role of assistant coach following a two-year stint as a graduate assistant. In her first season serving as an assistant under head coach Raleigh DeRose, Willie helped the Redbirds earn their highest win total since 2019 with eight victories across the 2025 campaign. As an assistant coach, Willie assisted and developed one of the nation’s best defensive teams in the nation. In 2025, the Redbirds led the Missouri Valley Conference with 13 shutouts, setting the Illinois State school record for the most shutouts in a season. Illinois State ranked top-15 in the nation with a save percentage of .854 and shutout percentage of .591 in Willie’s first season as an assistant.

As a graduate assistant and pursuing a master's degree in sports administration at Illinois State, Willie managed the program's operational needs during games and training sessions for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Willie moved to Normal after playing for and supporting the Illinois soccer team. A native of Yorkville, Illinois, she had a strong freshman year with the Fighting Illini in 2018, but had to medically retire from the sport. During her rookie season, she appeared in 19 matches, making a significant impact in her first game against Northern Illinois, where she contributed to four goals—scoring her first career goal and providing three assists. This achievement tied her for the most assists in a single game by an Illinois freshman in school history.

After her medical retirement, Willie spent two years as the assistant to the Director of Operations for the program, gaining valuable experience in meeting the operational needs of the team. She graduated from Illinois in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management.