EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern and Illinois State played to a 1-1 draw on Thursday night at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium, with the Wildcats scoring first and the Redbirds equalizing in the second half.
Northwestern’s 39th-minute strike from senior forward Sarah O’Donnell, assisted by sophomore forward Liz Cardwell, gave the Wildcats the lead, but Illinois State’s 73rd-minute equalizer evened the game at one for good.
After sophomore goalkeeper Nyamma Nelson was shown a red card in the 33rd minute, senior goalkeeper CJ Roy substituted on. Roy collected one save in her third career appearance.
Playing with 10 players, ‘Cats (1-2-1) responded to the red card quickly, breaking the deadlock just six minutes later. Cardwell’s speed down the right side opened up space for O’Donnell, who cut across the box and smashed home Cardwell’s pass for the 1-0 lead. The goal is the second of O’Donnell’s career and gave Cardwell her first assist of the season after posting a team-high four last year.
Liz Cardwell plays through to Sarah O'Donnell who smashes it home! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/3CIPBPhGLf
— Northwestern Soccer (@NUWSoccer) August 28, 2026
Illinois State (2-0-2) evened the contest in the 73rd minute on a goal by sophomore forward Rylann Law, assisted by senior defender Ava Watson and junior forward Eve Gricius.Â
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First-year defender Amber Weaver made her collegiate debut, logging a strong 34 minutes at center back.
Northwestern travels to Butler on Sunday, Aug. 30 for a road non-conference tilt. Kickoff from Indianapolis is set for 12 p.m. CT on ESPN+.