By ISU Sports Information
NORMAL – After a slow start, the Illinois State soccer team (10-5-2, 3-0-1 MVC) swept Kansas State (4-9-3), 2-0, with two late goals in the second half at Adelaide Street Field Thursday night.
ISU tallied only nine shots with five on goal in the first half, while Kansas State was unable to register a shot until the second half, leaving Haley Smith uncontested.
The Redbirds picked up momentum in the second half at the 48th minute, as Lauren Koehl scored the first goal of the match. Kiley Czerwinski passed a nice through ball to Kate Del Fava, who crossed it in for Koehl to tap it in far post. This marked Koehl’s 13th goal of the season, which is tied fourth in the national rankings for total goals.
In the 60th minute, ISU continued their lead, 2-0, as Abby Basler scored off a rebound shot from Koehl. Koehl took a shot at the sixth yard-line and was blocked by Kansas State’s keeper, Miranda Larkin, which then was found by Basler’s feet.
Overall, the Redbirds finished with a 21-4 advantage in shots, with nine on goal, while forcing Kansas State’s Larkin to seven saves. Vanessa Niestrom entered the game in the second half and made third crucial saves between the pipes.
“It was a productive night for us, we were able to earn another victory and shutout at home while getting contributions from a number of different people,” Head Coach Eric Golz said. “We responded well in the second half, we put together some decent soccer after a fairly sluggish first half. Now, we can turn our focus to a quality Evansville team.”
The Redbirds look to protect their No.1 seed in the Missouri Valley Conference as they travel to Evansville, Indiana, to face the Purple Aces Sunday, Oct. 23 at 1 p.m.
