<p><strong>CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. &ndash; Rachel Tejada</strong> scored twice, once in each half, as Illinois State (1-0-0) opened its 2012 season with a 2-1 victory over Southeast Missouri State (0-1-0) Friday evening in Cape Girardeau, Mo.&nbsp;</p> <p>&ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t a beautiful game, but it was a very hard-fought game,&rdquo; head coach <strong>Drew</strong> <strong>Roff</strong> said.&nbsp; &ldquo;They were fired up to play their home-opener, and for us, it was our first road game.&nbsp; Once the game settled down a bit, I thought that we took advantage of some situations, but it was an all-out battle.&rdquo;</p> <p>The game-winner came from Tejada, a 21-goal scorer in 2011, in the 63^rd minute with the match tied 1-1.&nbsp; <strong>Kyla Cross</strong> sent in a cross from the right wing that bounced over Southeast Missouri State keeper Ashton Aubuchon.&nbsp; Tejada was there to collect the ball and finish with her right foot to give the Redbirds a lead they wouldn&rsquo;t relent.&nbsp;</p> <p>On Tejada&rsquo;s second goal, <strong>Kristin Cooley </strong>sent a free kick from Illinois State territory towards the penalty area.&nbsp; Tejada sped behind the Redhawk defense as the ball bounced towards Aubuchon.&nbsp; Both players went up for the ball simultaneously and collided, but Tejada was able to get enough of it with her head to send it in the net and start the game&rsquo;s scoring.</p> <p>&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re a goal-scorer like Rachel, you find ways to score,&rdquo; Roff said.&nbsp; &ldquo;Sometimes it&rsquo;s a beautiful goal, and sometimes it&rsquo;s just being in the right place and tapping it in.&nbsp; She always puts pressure on teams, because she anticipates, she&rsquo;s quick, and she&rsquo;s fearless.&rdquo;</p> <p>After leading 1-0 through 45 minutes and controlling possession for the beginning of the second half, the Redbirds allowed an equalizer in the 54^th minute.&nbsp; Bloomington, Ill., native Erin Shulman sent a through ball towards freshman Ashley Geist.&nbsp; Keeper <strong>Aryn Newsom</strong> ventured out of the box in an attempt to corral it, but Geist was able to trickle one past her that crossed the goal line.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Redhawks outshot the Redbirds 13-10.&nbsp; Tejada led ISU with four shots, while Geist tallied four for SEMO.&nbsp; Newsom made three saves in the victory.</p> <p>The Redbirds return home next to take on 19^th-ranked Illinois, Sunday, at 1 p.m.&nbsp; The match will be the 10^th meeting between the Illini and Redbirds, with U of I holding a 6-2-1 series lead.<strong>&nbsp; </strong>Illinois made the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year after winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament and going 17-5-2 (8-2-1).</p> <p>Admission is free for the entire 2012 season, but one fan will win a free Reggie Redbird appearance by turning in a Pack the Field coupon at the main entrance on Sunday.&nbsp; The Last Blast Before Class festivities run from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.at the north end of the G-82 parking lot adjacent to the Adelaide Street Field lot.&nbsp; WZND will provide drinks and music, while D.P. Dough will supply free food.</p> <p>&nbsp;<strong>GoRedbirds.com:</strong> Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.</p>