TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State continues the road trip this weekend as ISU heads to Chicago, Ill. and Flames Field for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff against University Illinois Chicago.
This matchup will serve as the 5th matchup between the Sycamores and the Flames which dates back to 2017, where Indiana State leads the all time series 2-1-1.
Sycamore Standouts:
The Sycamores (6-2-2) won their most recent matchup against Valparaiso on Thursday evening as they opened MVC play against the Beacons.
Indiana State won 1-0 against the Beacons when Alex Lehnert picked up her fourth goal of the 2024 season in the 16th minute of the contest. Lehnert's goal came off a Mackenzie Kent assist after Kent collected a long ball from Quinn and broke through Beacon defenders to place the ball toward the goal for Lehnert to find the back of the net.
Despite Valpo out-shooting the Sycamores 19-7 in the contest, ISU came out on top as the Beacons were unable to find the equalizer after tremendous pressure throughout the matchup on Thursday evening.
ISU had single-digit shots (7) for the third match this season, paced by Lehnert and Kent who combined for six of the seven shot attempts for the Sycamores. Caitlin Mullen also recorded an attempt on target for Indiana State in the victory.
Indiana State was out-shot in their last two contests, against SIUE (8-14) and Valpo (7-19) but the Sycamores took advantage of their chances and now have a two game winning streak.
Maddie Alexander earned her sixth shutout in the 1-0 victory against Valpo which marks the seventh clean sheet for Indiana State in the 2024 season. The Battle Creek, Mich. native leads the MVC and is ranked nationally as she stands third in shutouts (6), fifth in save percentage (.929), 16th in saves (52), and 23rd in goals-average-against (4).
Lehnert and Kent continue to lead the Sycamores offensively, as they are tied for first in the MVC in goals scored (4), while leading Indiana State as they each record 12 shots on goal and nine points in the 2024 season.
Wimberley Wright is ranked first in the MVC and 16th nationally with five assists so far this season. The Denton, Texas native records seven points for the Sycamores as she has started and played in all ten games for ISU, totaling 714 minutes of play.
NCAA Team Rankings:
3rd: Save percentage: .931
13th: Shutout percentage: .700
15th: Shot accuracy: .557
16th: Goals-average-against: .400
16th: Goal differential: 19
21st: Shots on goal per game: 8.80
31st: Total goals: 23
34th: Total Points: 65
MVC Team Rankings:
1st: Points: 65
1st: Goals: 23
1st: Assists: 19
1st: Goals Allowed: 4
1st: Shutouts: 7
1st: Corners: 67
1st: Shutout percentage: .700
1st: Shots on goal per game: 8.80
1st: Save percentage: .931
1st: Points per game: 6.50
1st: Goal differential: 19
1st: Assists per game: 1.90
1st: Corner kicks per game: 6.70
Scouting UIC:
The Flames enter Thursday's contest with an overall record of 2-7, where they won their most recent matchup in their first MVC matchup over UNI 2-0. UIC was selected third overall in the MVC preseason women's soccer poll as announced by the conference office in mid-August.
David Nikolic enters his fourth year at the helm for the UIC women's soccer team after being named head coach for the UIC Flames by Director of Athletics Michael Lipitz on April 29, 2021.
The Flames have connected on six goals in the 2024 season, paced by Riley Collett's pair of goals which came from Thursday evenings victory against UNI when Collett scored in the 20th & 77th minute of the matchup. Collett leads the team in points (5) as she has started and played in all nine games this season.
Up Next:
The Sycamores are back home at Memorial Stadium next week as they host Southern Illinois for the Mental Health Matters game on Thursday, September 26 at 5 p.m ET.
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Soccer, be sure to visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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