University of Northern Iowa
Illinois State
Panther soccer begin postseason play with rematch against the Redbirds
10/29/2024 2:26:00 PM | Women's Soccer
UNI battles Illinois State for the second time this week in Chicago. Winner to face UIC on Sunday.
UNI soccer (9-5-4 / 4-3-3 MVC) vs Illinois State (5-9-4 / 3-4-3 MVC)
- 2 p.m. CT | Oct. 31, 2024
- Flames Field
- Chicago, Ill.
- ESPN+Â
- LIVE STATS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — The 2024 postseason begins for the UNI soccer team on Thursday afternoon as it takes on the Illinois State Redbirds in a rematch of Sunday's regular season finale during the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament in Chicago.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT on Flames Field in the Windy City, with live coverage available on ESPN+. The winner of Thursday's match will advance to the MVC Tournament quarterfinal on Sunday against third-seeded UIC.
Sixth-seeded Northern Iowa will battle seventh-seeded Illinois State for the third time in postseason play, most recently matching up in the MVC Tournament in the spring of 2021, where the match ended in a 1-1 tie with the Redbirds advancing 3-0 on penalty kick. UNI's lone postseason win over Illinois State in a 1-0 victory in 2017 in the quarterfinal round. This is also the fourth time the Panthers have played the same opponent in its postseason opener directly after facing them in the regular season finale (Missouri State, 2014 / Drake, 2021 / Belmont, 2022).
The Panthers finished tied for fifth-place in the MVC standings with Indiana State, earning the sixth-seed via tiebreakers. Northern Iowa has qualified for the MVC Tournament in each of the last five seasons and seven times overall under head coach Bruce Erickson. Additionally, UNI has placed in the top half of the MVC standings seven times during Erickson's tenure.
In Sunday's match against the Redbirds, Maddie Eastus scored the equalizer in the 81st minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw, the first tie in the 27-match history between the two teams.Â
In net, goalkeeper Caitlin Richards, who earlier this season set the program record for career shutouts, will look to break another school record with Anne Marie Witko's (2000-03) career minutes in goal record, sitting just 27 minutes of game play away from breaking. Richards and Witko are the only two goalkeepers in UNI history to record over 6,000 career minutes in net.
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SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS
The Redbirds enter the MVC Tournament following a 1-1 draw with the Panthers on Sunday. After finishing last season with a record of 3-9-4, Illinois State has encountered difficulties this year, with nine of their matches ending in ties. Last season, the Redbirds narrowly missed qualifying for the MVC Tournament, losing to UIC and UNI in key matchups.
In their first season under head coach Raleigh DeRose, the Redbirds are led by freshmen Eiley Henderson, Chloe Cline and Eve Gricius, who have combined for six of the team's eleven goals this season. Eiley Henderson has also made 24 shot attempts, contributing to Illinois State's total of 150 shots this year. In goal, Madi Valenti leads the team with 73 saves and boasts a .753 save percentage.
UNI women's soccer action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Panther Soccer), X (@UNI_Soccer) and on Instagram (@unipanthersoccer). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
