Head coach Julie Hanley, in her fourth season at the helm, led ISU to their first conference tournament appearance since 2013 after a fourth place finish in the 2016 campaign. She then led the Sycamores to a nail biting penalty kick win over the Drake Bulldogs in the MVC Tournament to secure a spot in the semifinals. In 2018, she led the Sycamores to four road wins for the first time since 2013 as well as a four match undefeated streak in road games for the first time in the history of the program.

Of Indiana State's six victories last season, four came on the road. The Sycamores saw a string of five consecutive matches undefeated end on September 14 against Western Michigan. It marked the first time since 2013 that Indiana State has enjoyed a streak of success that long. Indiana State enjoyed undefeated streaks of six matches three times (in 2006, 2010 & 2013) which is a record for the program.

Indiana State's 6-3-2 non-conference record was the best among the league membership outside of MVC  play one year ago.
 
MATCH PREVIEW
Central Michigan owns a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series.

This is the Sycamores' first-ever visit to Mt. Pleasant to take on the Chippewas.

The Sycamores and CMU only previous meeting came on August 28, 2011 when the Chippewas took a 2-0 decision in Terre Haute.

ISU is 2-18-1 all-time against the Mid-American Conference.
  The Valley on ESPN, part of the Missouri Valley Conference's media rights agreement with ESPN, will feature most home soccer matches from all eight MVC institutions on the ESPN+ and the ESPN3 streaming platforms. The HD-quality telecasts are available on the ESPN app. Seven Sycamore games will be featured on ESPN+ while four will be shown live world wide on ESPN3.
 
Danielle Varner Named To Preseason All-MVC Team
Indiana State junior Danielle Varner was named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Team as part of a summer time vote of the league's head coaches. Varner was named in 2018 to the All-MVC Second Team as well as an honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete. She played and started in all 18 matches for the Sycamores and scored a pair of goals while adding an assist for a total of five points on the season. Varner fired off 15 shots, including five shots on goal. She scored her first goal at Akron as she had three shots in the contest. Varner then added another goal as part of the eight goal outburst against Chicago State. She tallied an assist in conference play at Missouri State. Varner was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week after the Sycamores completed a busy three-game road swing around the Labor Day weekend undefeated. It was her first career MVC Weekly honor.
 
Young Strikers Making Their Mark Early
The Sycamores have recorded 42 shots this season, including 19 of which have come on goal. Of those 42, 33 have been by players that are either in their first or second season with the program. Of the 19 on goal, 15 have come by that same group. So 78.5 percent of the team's shots have been by underclassmen while 78.9 percent of the shots on goal have come from that same group.
 
Hannah Sullivan Sets Career High At Saint Louis
Sycamore goalkeeper Hannah Sullivan set a new career high with eight saves in the 2-1 loss at Saint Louis on August 25. In the rain, Sullivan recorded eight saves against 10 shots on goal. The Billikens recorded 20 shots to the Sycamores' 3 in the contest.
 
A Clancy Effort
Indiana State sophomore Sarah Clancy was key for the Sycamores on the season opening road trip to Saint Louis and Kansas City. She helped the Sycamores stay in both contests by allowing just three goals of the two-game stretch, one of which came on a penalty kick. Clancy made a valiant effort to stop the Billiken's first goal as her attempt at a back save was just behind the end line. She did make several defensive plays during the week to keep the opposition at bay.
 
Katie Sidloski Posts First Goal Of The Season
Indiana State senior Katie Sidloski scored the match's only goal for the Sycamores at Saint Louis on Sunday. She found a loose ball outside of the penalty box and took advantage of the SLU goalkeeper who had fallen on the wet turf for her first goal of the season. It was her only shot on goal of the weekend.
 
8-0 Win Over Chicago State Was Most Goals Ever Scored Versus A NCAA Division I School
Indiana State's 8-0 offensive outburst against Chicago State proved to be the most goals scored for the Sycamores since they tallied nine on October 12, 2008 against Oakland City. ISU's eight goals against the Cougars are the most ever for the program against a NCAA Division I team. ISU improved to 5-0 all-time against Chicago State, and have beaten them by a cumulative score of 34-2.
 
Up Next
The Sycamores travel to Dayton on Sunday, September 8 for a 1 pm (ET) matchup to conclude this two-game road swing. The game will appear live on ESPN+.