Matchday Information –  Butler vs. Illinois State
DATE:                          Sunday, August 20 / 1PM
LOCATION:                 Indianapolis / Sellick Bowl
LIVE VIDEO:                FloSports
LIVE STATS:               butlersports.com
TICKETS:                    butlersports.com
 
Full Notes

The Butler women's soccer team will be looking to get into the win column after a season-opening loss to (rv) Virginia Tech. The Bulldogs are hosting Illinois State, which lost its first game of the season on Thursday night at Indiana.

Bulldog Bits

• Abigail Isger was selected Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. She is joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by Talia Sommer.
• Butler was chosen fourth in the BIG EAST preseason poll by the conference coaches.
  The top five includes 1st-No. 16 Georgetown, 2nd- (rv) Xavier, 3rd-St. John's, and 5th-Creigthon.
   
• Five of Butler's scheduled opponents were ranked or received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll: (rv) Virginia Tech (Aug. 17), No. 3 Notre Dame (Aug. 24), No. 9 TCU (Sept. 10), (rv) Xavier (Sept. 21), No. 16 Georgetown (Oct. 22).
   
• Butler has added alumna Annika (Schmidt) Creel '19 to its coaching staff. The Zionsville, Indiana, native originally committed to UConn but transferred to Butler after two seasons. She was a three-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection with the Bulldogs, from 2017-2019. After graduation, she signed with Gotenborg FC in Sweden and then played for the Houston Dash in the NWSL for two seasons.
  
  vs. (rv) Virginia Tech
• Butler hit a total of eight shots in the match. Alexei Whittaker, Talia Sommer, and Becky Dean led the Bulldogs with each producing a pair. Each of the three had one shot on goal.
• The Bulldogs utilized two goalkeepers in the match. Anna Pierce made two saves in the first half, while Emma Martin was credited for two saves in the second.

The Matchup

• SERIES RECORD: Illinois State leads, 4-2-0, winning the last two contests
• LAST MEETING: Illinois State won, 3-2, in Indianapolis Sept. 25, 2009
• The Redbirds also won the Sept. 21, 2008, matchup in Normal, Ill.
• Butler's most recent win (1-0) was Oct. 25, 2002, in Indianapolis.

Scouting Illinois State

• 2022 Season: Finished 3-14-1 (1-8-1 MVC)
• Notable results last season: Illinois (L, 0-1), Indiana State (L, 0-1), Valparaiso (T, 0-0), Evansville (L, 1-3)
• Previous match: Last Thursday (8-17-23) the Redbirds lost at Indiana, 3-1. Freshman Julia Liguore scored the team's goal, assisted by freshman Katie O'Malley.

Individual (2022) Statistics

• Offensive standouts (returning) for Illinois State include:
  #14 Haley Glover (3g, 2a)
  #9 Hillary Griffin (1g, 5a)
  #10 Kelsi McLaughlin (2g)

• Audrey Brown returns as the primary keeper for the Redbirds. In 2022, she was 2-8-0. Last Thursday at Indiana, she made 7 saves and conceded 3 goals.