NORMAL- The Illinois State Soccer team allowed a goal in the third minute of its 2016 season opener with Wisconsin, but the Redbirds (0-1) played even with the Badgers (1-0) the rest of the way in a 1-0 defeat Friday night at Adelaide Street Field.
The difference in the match came at the 2:21 mark of the opening half when Wisconsin’s Sydney McGinnis took a corner kick from the left side and found Dani Rhodes, who snuck one past freshman goalkeeper Haley Smith.
The Badgers would go on to control possession for much of the first half and outshoot ISU, 14-3, and hold a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks. The Redbird defense blocked multiple shots in a Badger-packed box.
“It was an unfortunate way to start the season, but I’m pleased with how we responded,” head coach Eric Golz said.
ISU picked up the pace opening the second half with multiple scoring opportunities. The Redbirds limited the Badgers to only six shots and stayed even with six shots of their own. Half of ISU’s shots over the final 45 minutes came in the 68th minute off a corner kick. A large window of opportunity was left open by the Wisconsin defense, allowing Mikayla Unger, Kelli Zickert and Lauren Koehl to all get shots off, with Unger’s attempt hitting the crossbar.
The Redbirds continued to attack for the final 22 minutes but could not come up with the equalizer, as the Badgers narrowly escaped with the W.
“Our improvement from the first half to the second half was significant, so we need to build on that heading into Sunday,” Golz said. “Wisconsin is a talented team and a well-coached program, and I thought we held our own once we settled into the game. We look forward to taking what we learned tonight and having the opportunity to implement it on Sunday as we have another tough match against Illinois.”
ISU returns to action Sunday, Aug. 21 in Champaign when it faces off against Illinois, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.
