The historic season for the Illinois State soccer team came to an end November 21 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 4-0 loss to No. 11 Pepperdine. The Redbirds ended the season with a program record 16 wins and 6 losses.
In back-to-back seasons the Redbirds advanced into the second round of the tournament. Last year the Redbirds beat Louisville in penalty kicks to become the first Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) team to advance to the second round of the tournament. This year Illinois State won 3-2 in regulation over the University of South Florida.
The loss to Pepperdine marked the end of one of the best individual careers by any player to ever play in the MVC. Rachel Tejada ended her career with the Redbirds with 190 points (74 goals and 42 assists), which ranks 25th all-time among Division I players.
The Redbirds finished the season 16-6-0 and 6-0 in the Valley. The program won its 10th regular season conference title and made its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance.
