Redbirds Tie Northwestern To Keep Undefeated Season Alive

Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics

EVANSTON, Ill. — The Illinois State Soccer team continues its undefeated season after a 1-1 draw against the Northwestern Wildcats Thursday evening at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium.

The Redbirds struggled early on both sides of the ball, with Northwestern taking six shots before Rylann Law took ISU’s first shot of the game 24 minutes in.

The Wildcats continued their pressure with the Redbirds struggling to gain any momentum. In the 38th minute, Northwestern senior forward Sarah O’Donnell broke the tie to give the Wildcats the 1-0 lead off an assist by Liz Cardwell.

Heading into halftime, ISU only took four shots to Northwestern’s ten but still only trailed by a goal.

In the second half, it looked like Northwestern would keep control. But in 72nd minute, the Redbirds took advantage of Northwestern being down a player, and after an assist on a throw-in by Ava Watson and Eve Gricius, sophomore Rowann Law scored her first goal as a Redbird.

After tying the game, ISU struggled to maintain offensive momentum, but remained strong defensively, with goalkeeper Madi Valenti making a critical save in the 78th minute. The final whistle blew with a final score of 1-1.

The Redbirds now sit at 2-0-2, marking the first time the team has been undefeated through its first four games since 2012. The Redbirds will travel to Chicago to face Loyola on Sunday at 2 p.m.

For all things Redbird Soccer, stay tuned to WZND.com