OMAHA, NEB. - Jessica Carlson's goal in the 60th minute (59:47) lifted Illinois State to a 1-0 victory over Drake in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Championship on Friday (Nov. 6).

The loss brings an end to the Drake campaign at 9-9-3 overall, while the Redbirds advanced to the championship match with an 11-6-1 mark.

"The team truly bought into the adjustments we made from our first meeting with Illinois State (won by Illinois State, 2-0, on Oct. 25), but it was heartbreaking in the nature of the goal," Bulldog head coach Lindsey Horner commented. "Defensively, I thought we presented Illinois State with problems today."

Illinois State, the regular season conference champion, dominated shots in the affair outshooting Drake, 18-5, led by five shots from Carlson.

Action was concentrated in the Bulldogs' defensive third for the first 20 minutes of the affair with defenses dominating for both sides resulting in the first shot in the contest not occurring until the 14:06 mark.

Drake suffered a blow to its defense when honorable mention All-MVC performer junior Bailey Dorrington (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier) was forced out of the game due to injury at the 24:21 mark, she didn't return in the match.

Drake's best scoring chance in the initial stanza came in the 41st minute (40:26) when senior Melissa Lewis (Edina, Minn./Edina) sent in a kick from right to left just outside the box that tailed back towards and nearly beat Illinois State goalkeeper Sasha Reiber to the upper right corner.

Senior Blair Nelson's (Southlake, Texas/Carroll) header off a corner kick by senior Shannon Schuehle (Shorewood, Minn./Minnetonka) came up short as Reiber corralled the ball for the save.

Despite being outshot in the first half, 10-2, the Bulldogs went into the intermission in a scoreless tilt with the Redbirds.

Illinois State cracked the scoring column at the 59:47 mark when Shannon Eccleston's shot came loose from sophomore Kourtney Arnold's (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk) save and Carlson redirected the ball on the line into the back of the net for her 10th goal of the season.

Senior Elizabeth Woerle (Coon Rapids, Minn./Meadow Creek) had a free kick at the 86:23 mark but her attempt sailed high above the goal to end the scoring chance for the Bulldogs.

Lewis, Nelson, Woerle and seniors Crystal Townley (Colorado Springs, Colo./Palmer) and Rachel Gielau (Denver, Iowa/Denver) accounted for Drake's five shots in the tilt, while Arnold registered seven saves.  Reiber posted two stops for Illinois State.

"We weren't very attractive in the way we attacked today but there isn't stat for the number of times we created chances by almost getting behind their backline," said Horner.  "I'm really proud of the way these girls battled."