Matchday Info
Lindenwood Women's Soccer (1-1-0) vs. Illinois State (1-0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 20 | 4:00 p.m.
St. Charles, Mo. | Dave Steward Field at Hunter Stadium
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Live Stats
Kicking Off
The Lindenwood women's soccer team returns home to face Illinois State on Thursday as the Lions look to respond following last weekend's loss at Saint Louis. Kickoff against the Redbirds is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Lions Storylines
- Lindenwood split a pair of contests to open the 2026 season last week, defeating Bellarmine 1-0 at home before suffering a 5-0 loss on the road against SLU.
- The Lions totaled 21 shots with nine on target in the season opener but only managed five attempts in Sunday's loss. Defensively, Lindenwood limited Bellarmine to only four shots before giving up 21 shots with 13 on goal against the Billikens.
- Mackenzie Compton led the LU attack last week, registering a team-high six shots across two contests and scoring the game-winner in last Thursday's victory.
- The Lions are 11-4-4 at home dating back to the beginning of the 2024 season and are winners of three straight on Steward Field since last October.
- Lindenwood went 3-1-2 overall against the Missouri Valley Conference last season.
Last Time Out
Lindenwood fell 5-0 against Saint Louis on a steamy afternoon at Hermann Stadium on Sunday. The Lions were unable to overcome an early Billikens blitz, not recording a shot until SLU had already scored four goals.
Caroline Ritter matched her career-high with eight saves in the contest.
Preseason Favorites
LU were selected as heavy preseason favorites in the Ohio Valley Conference's preseason poll, receiving nine out of 16 potential first-place votes, while
Caroline Ritter and
Anna Johnson were tabbed as the Lions' Players to Watch.Â
Returning Experience
The Lions returned 8 of 11 starters off of last season's squad, including all five All-OVC selections in
Mackenzie Compton,
Tasneem Dizdarevic,
Rachel Jackson,
Allison Schrumpf, and
Alysse Lamb. In total, Lindenwood brought back 72.7% of starts, 74.8% of minutes, and 81.3% of points from the 2025 season. LU returners accounted for all but three of last year's 22 goals and 54 of 59 points.
New Additions
Lindenwood bolstered their experience laden roster with a group of five newcomers, including three transfers and a pair of freshmen. The transfer class features
Sam Steele, who spent the previous three seasons at Idaho State, and two Creighton transfers in
Addie Dea and
Addie Wilkie. Joining the squad as first year players are
Peyton Johnson and
Lauren Hale.
About Illinois State
- The Redbirds enter Thursday with a record of 1-0-0 after picking up a 2-1 win over Northern Illinois last Wednesday.
- Rylann Law fronted the ISU attack, recording six shots with three on target and scoring one goal.
- Illinois State had two players selected to the Preseason All-MVC Team, including defender Grace Petrie and goalkeeper Madi Valenti.
- Valenti, a St. Charles native and graduate of Francis Howell Central, was 2025 MVC Goalkeeper of the Year and a United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region third team selection after posting a program record 12 shutouts with a conference leading .853 save percentage.
Series History
Lindenwood is 1-1-0 all-time against Illinois State, most recently picking up a 2-1 win on the road last season. Thursday will be the first meeting between the Lions and Redbirds in St. Charles.
Next Up
Lindenwood remains home to host DePaul on Sunday. Kickoff against the Blue Demons is set for 1:00 p.m.
