Creighton University
Illinois State
Women's Soccer Falls in MVC Title Match, 1-0
11/8/2009 4:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
OMAHA, Neb. - Jessica Carlson's goal in the 52nd minute gave Illinois State its second MVC Tournament title, as the Redbirds defeated Creighton, 1-0 Sunday afternoon at Morrison Stadium.
Illinois State advances to the NCAA Division I tournament, which will begin on campus sites next Friday.
Carlson gave the Redbirds the lead with her league-best 11th goal of the season. Creighton's clear attempt near its own goal was blocked by Carlson. She then beat two Creighton defenders to the middle of the box, and beat a diving Alicia Montgomery just inside the right post for the only goal of the match.
Illinois State's last title came in 2002, when they defeated Creighton 1-0 in overtime. The Redbirds will try to end the Valley's drought in the NCAA Tournament, as MVC teams are 0-11-0 all-time.
Montgomery made five saves for Creighton, as the Jays defense finished the season allowing the fewest goals (13) of any CU squad. That mark also set an MVC record.
Sasha Reiber stopped one Creighton shot, but survived two scares in the first half, en route to her ninth win of the season.
Brittney Neumann had the two best opportunities for Creighton, catching Reiber out of the net both times. Her first shot bounced off the right post in the 15th minute, and an odd angle shot in the 43rd minute landed on top of the net.
Neumann and Andrea Zuniga combined for six of the seven Creighton shots, with three apiece.
The Redbirds and Jays' last four meetings in the Valley tournament have come in the championship matches. Creighton won the title in 2007 and 2002, while Illinois State added this year's title to its only other triumph in 2003.
Creighton had three players named to the MVC All-Tournament Team. Neumann, Beth Fyles and Laura Nasseri all earned spots on the team. The Redbirds led the way with four players, as Carlson was named tournament MVP.
Illinois State's record improved to 12-6-1 while the Jays ended the season 13-6-2. The Redbirds will find out Monday who their opponent will be in next weekend's first round.
NOTES: This year marked the sixth tournament without a game decided by shootout. The league has gone without a game decided by penalty kicks five times before this year. Those years were 2006, 2001, 2000, 1998 and 1996 ... Creighton ends the decade with the most Valley tournament championships with four ... Illinois State tied for second with Evansville with two titles ... The announced crowd of 503 is the third highest for an MVC Championship game, trailing 2005 (593) and 1999 (612) crowds ... Alicia Montgomery ends the year with a 0.58 goals against average; the third lowest mark in CU history and second in MVC history ... The Jays did not allow more than two goals in any match this season, marking the first time in program history that has been done ... The 13 wins were the most ever in the Bruce Erickson era at Creighton.
