NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State soccer head coach Raleigh DeRose announced Tuesday the promotion of Peyton Willie to assistant coach following her two-year stint on staff as a graduate assistant.  

"I am so unbelievably happy to promote Peyton into this role," DeRose said. "She is a talented and loyal young coach with a wonderful work ethic and care for players. Her experience playing at a high level matched with her ability to connect with athletes makes her a great fit for the team. I look forward to working alongside Peyton and growing this program together." 

While pursuing a master's degree in sports administration at Illinois State Willie has spent the last two seasons overseeing the program's soccer operational needs at games and training sessions.  

"I am very thankful to Coach Raleigh for her confidence in my abilities and I look forward to continuing to work alongside her," Willie said. "I am appreciative and fired up to continue working with this terrific group of student athletes. I have been really fortunate to be a part of this team who has experienced so much growth over the past couple of years and I am excited to see what we can achieve next. Roll Birds!" 

Willie came to Normal following a tenure as a player and support staff member nearby at Illinois. The Yorkville, Ill. native posted a strong freshman year for the Fighting Illini in 2018 before medically retiring. In 2018 she appeared in 19 matches, scoring her first-career goal in a victory over Northern Illinois. She also dished three assists in that game, tying her for the most in assists a game by an Illinois freshman in school history.  

Willie then spent two years as the program's assistant to the Director of Operations, where she gained experience helping meet operational needs for the program. She graduated from Illinois in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management.  

DeRose and Willie will look to build off a solid foundation built in 2024, DeRose's first season at the helm of the program. The Redbirds earned the program's first trip to the MVC Tournament since 2021, and took down No.6 UNI 1-0 to become the first No.7 seed to ever win at the MVC women's soccer tournament. Illinois State returns more than 60 percent of the team's goal scoring from a season ago, including leading scorer and All-MVC Freshman team selection Eiley Henderson.  

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