Illinois State Soccer Falls Short In Close Match Against Drake

Image Courtesy of Illinois State Athletics 

NORMAL, Ill. — Illinois State soccer lost their last road match of the season, falling 1-0 against the Drake Bulldogs, who are the second-best team in the Missouri Valley Conference. 

The Bulldogs started the game aggressive on offense, getting early pressure on the Redbird defense, but were unable to come up with a score. ISU eventually began to fight back, but like their opponent could not find the back of the net. The first half ended with a 0-0 score. 

Once again in the second half Drake came out hot and had more success on defense, limiting the Redbird’s attack. 

Angela Gutierrez, the star player for Drake who leads the conference in multiple offensive categories, continued her dominance with four attempted shots on ISU, with one of them threatening the net. 

But it was Trelyn White who won it for the Bulldogs with a late goal in the 78th minute. White scored her second goal of the season, and her first in almost two months. 

With this loss, ISU is now 9-3-5 on the season with a 4-2-2 record in conference play. This is the best record for the team since 2019, where they won 14 games and made the MVC Championship. 

Coming into this match, the Redbirds were already guaranteed a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, but they were still competing to be a top two team, which would automatically put them in the semifinals. 

With today’s loss however, ISU is no longer in contention for the number two place. Now their position depends on their next game. 

On Thursday ISU will play their final match, at home against Valporaiso, who is 6-8-3. With a win they would finish as the number three seed and host the number six seed. Because Indiana State also lost, the Redbirds will host their first postseason game, but Thursday’s results will determine who they play. 

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