Illinois State soccer Takes Down UNI at Tejada’s Jersey Retirement

Image courtesy of Illinois State Athletics / Article by Rafe English

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State Soccer marked Julie Heidecke Alumni Day and the retirement of Rachel Tejada’s No. 14 jersey with a 6-0 win over UNI on Sunday at Adelaide Street Field.

Mikayla Carkhuff put the Redbirds ahead just 57 seconds into the match with the third-fastest goal in program history. Rylann Law, Maggie Dowling and Ava Watson also scored before halftime, giving Illinois State a 4-0 lead heading into the break.

The Redbirds added two more goals early in the second half and cruised home from there. Law and Dowling finished the match with two goals apiece, becoming the first Illinois State pair to score multiple goals in the same match since 2019.

The dominant display was Illinois State’s highest-scoring game since the 2016 season, where they beat Chicago state 10-0. This 6-game streak now marks their most consecutive wins since the 2016 season.

Goalkeeper Madi Valenti, made two saves for her third consecutive shutout and sixth of the season. She now has 23 career shutouts.

The Redbirds had 19 more shots than the Panthers tallying 26-7 attempts and had 17 shots on target.

The win improves the Redbirds’ record to 8-1-3 overall and 3-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Redbirds are now unbeaten in their last 13 home matches.

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