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SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State women's soccer team (8-9-1, 4-2-1 MVC) clinched the No. 2 seed in the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Championship thanks to a 2-0, senior-night shutout over the Illinois State Redbirds, Thursday afternoon at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.
 
"I'm so proud of this team for getting the job done today," head coach Rob Brewer said. "We've shown a lot of resilience throughout the season. This team is still evolving and we've really been trying to use our defense to shut teams down. Our mindset is to keep pushing forward and utilize what is working for us."
 
Missouri State controlled the ball for the majority of the first half, firing off 11 shots while limiting Illinois State to just four. Brooke Prondzinski fired off her first of four shots on the night in the 5^th minute and the teams went back and forth several times without putting the ball in the net.
 
However, Prondzinski broke the game open in the 35^th minute after receiving a quick pass from Kayleigh Putnam at the top of the box. From 15-yards out, Prondzinski sunk her fifth goal of the season to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.
 
The Bears held off the Redbirds for the remainder of the half and returned from the break eager to score again. Twelve minutes into the second half, freshman Jordan Eickelman artfully dribbled past her defender and scored the second goal of her career to put the game out of reach.  
 
Halted by a strong defensive line, the Redbirds recorded just five shots on goal throughout the match. Starting goalkeeper Lexi Palacio improved to 3-3-1 on the season and picked up her third career shutout thanks to the 2-0 victory.
 
"We knew what was on the line coming into today," senior standout Brooke Zimmerman said. "We had nothing to lose and everything to gain from this match. Our goal is to have the best defense in the league and we've been working hard to achieve that. As a defensive unit, we want to do our part to produce shutouts and have our offense step up and score goals – they did a great job tonight."
 
The Bears, who finished last in conference a year ago, finished the regular season with an 8-9-1 overall record and 4-2-1 mark in MVC action. Missouri State will host the 2017 MVC Championship at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium on Friday, Nov. 3 and Sunday No. 5.  As the No. 2 seed, the Bears will face the winner of Loyola and Valpo on Friday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m.
 
Scoring Summary

• 35:01 – Missouri State, Brooke Prondzinski – received pass in the box and shot from straight on, 15-yards out. Assisted by Kayleigh Putnam.
• 57:52 – Missouri State, Jordan Eickelman – dribbled past defender, scored to the right side of the net.

 
For all the latest information on the Missouri State women's soccer team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUBearsWSoccer on Twitter.