Illinois State Soccer’s Season Comes to an End in MVC Championship

Image courtesy of Redbird Athletics

NORMAL, Ill.- Illinois State Soccer had their season come to an end on Sunday afternoon at Adelaide Street Field in the Missouri Valley Conference game against the UIC Flames. The game took about 3 hours in total after 2 overtimes and penalty kicks which was the deciding factor. The final was 0-0 with UIC advancing 2-1 on penalty kicks.

UIC came in as the number 6 seed in the conference with the Birds being number 4, making it an unlikely championship match. There were good scoring chances on both sides in the first 10 minutes of the match, forcing saves from both goalkeepers. Madi Valenti made a diving save to her left after a close shot from the Flames, keeping the game scoreless.

There were no real scoring chances the rest of the first half with both teams playing very solid defense. The Birds led the shot totals to end the half with a total of 5 shots to 3 by the Flames.

The Flames outpaced the Redbirds in the second half, owning most of the possession but the Birds defense held strong keeping the match scoreless going into overtime. Flurries started to fall in the second half as well with temperatures being in the 30s with heavy winds.

Penalty kicks is when the Flames were able to win the championship as the UIC goaltender made plenty of saves to secure their win.

There was a lot to be proud of this season for Illinois State Soccer as this was their first season hosting the MVC championship since 2016. This game marked their 13th shutout of the year, which is a program record. Madi Valenti won the conference goaltender of the year after her excellent season. 3 Redbirds were named to the MVC all-tournament team. They were Madi Valenti, Chloe Cline, and Abby Hall.

Congratulations to the Redbirds on an incredible season.

For all things Redbird Soccer, be sure to stay tuned to wznd.com.