Wildcats Visit Redbirds For In-State Showdown

2021 NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S SOCCER
DATE	OPPONENT	TIME (CT)	LOCATION	WATCH	LIVE STATS
Thursday, Sept. 9	Illinois Staate	6 p.m. CT	Adelaide Street Field Normal, Ill.	ESPN+	StatBroadcast
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EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern heads back on the road after opening Martin Stadium with a win on Sunday when it takes on in-state foes Illinois State on Thursday night in Normal. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT from Adelaide Street Field and will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Wildcats are coming off a thrilling 3-2 comeback win from 2-0 down on Sunday against Kent State in the home opener at Martin Stadium. Ingrid Falls, Regan Steigleder and Josie Aulicino landed on the scoresheet with Falls, a sophomore, grabbing a second half winner with the first goal of her career. Aulicino recorded assists on the other two goals for her fourth and fifth assists of the season already.

Aulicino has turned heads through her standout sophomore campaign, and in addition to her excellent motor and ball progression in the midfield, her contributions are now finding their way onto the scoresheet. She leads the offense with two goals and five assists for nine points, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Her five assists are tied for first in the conference and rank eighth nationally. She is one away from the top-ten list in program history for assists in a season, and three away from recent standout Marisa Viggiano, who recorded eight helpers in the 2017 campaign. Viggiano is now a midfielder for the Orlando Pride. Aulicino ranks third in minutes played this season among the team's field players.

The Wildcats have spread the love offensively, with six players getting on the scoresheet in five games for nine goals. It is the most goals the Wildcats have scored in their first five games since 2016, when the 'Cats opened the season with five straight wins en-route to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Northwestern leads the all-time series 5-3 against Illinois State, winning the most recent matchup 3-0 on the road in 2017 that featured two goals from Madi Kennel, who graduated in the Spring of 2021. Both Steigleder and Nia Harris appeared in that contest, which featured four future NWSL players in Viggiano, Hannah Davison, Kayla Sharples and Redbird standout defender Kate Del Fava.

Longtime Northwestern fans will remember the close call Northwestern and Illinois State nearly had in 2016 in the last year of Eric Golz' tenure, when the Redbirds did the MVC double. Both teams were in Durham for the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament and when the Redbirds equalized in the 74th minute against the Blue Devils, they were very close to a Sweet 16 matchup against Northwestern, who went on to win 1-0 later that evening against SIU Edwardsville.

Illinois State has gotten off to a slow start this season with a 1-5 record, with the lone win coming in a 4-0 result against Eastern Michigan. The Redbirds have been outscored 14-8 on the season, which includes the four-goal outburst against the Eagles.

Wildcats Visit Redbirds For In-State Showdown

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Players Mentioned

Josie Aulicino

Ingrid Falls

Nia Harris

Madi Kennel

Regan Steigleder

Northwestern University Athletics