By ISU Sports Information

NORMAL – The Illinois State soccer team (3-5-0) came off with a win Sunday at Adelaide Street Field against North Dakota (1-5-2). The Redbirds outscored the fighting hawks 2-0 for their third consecutive home win.

“We got a victory and a shutout, both of which are good things,” head coach Eric Golz said. “I think we just found a way to get a result on a day that we were not at our best. The credit goes to the players for finding a way to get a result but in terms of the quality of our performance, I don’t think we represented ourselves very well.”

The Redbird offense struggled to collect itself in the first half until a goal by freshman Mikayla Unger gave them the momentum boost they needed in the 16th minute. There was a flurry of shots by ISU forcing North Dakota keeper Catherine Klein off the goal line. Unger rebounded off a shot by senior Brooke Ksiazek to get one past the keeper.

The second half began similar to the first, as the Redbird offense struggled to gain control and possess the ball. There was a series of fouls late in the second half, one of which was inside the box. Junior Emily Dickman took the penalty kick for the Redbirds and kicked a rocket over Klein’s head into the top left corner of the goal, extending ISU’s lead to 2-0 with five minutes left to play. ISU finished with 34 shots and a season high 12 shots on goal.

The Redbirds will travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan for a 4 p.m. kickoff against Eastern Michigan Friday then will continue on the road to DeKalb, Illinois for a 2 p.m. match against Northern Illinois Sunday.

“We’re going to have to be consistent on the road with back-to-back games against two talented teams. It will be a good test for us,” Golz said. “Any time you play on the road its challenging so we just need to be consistent from Friday to Sunday. This week we will be resting, recovering, and regenerating both physically and mentally so we can bring some more energy, bring some more life to the games this weekend.”