Sept. 19, 1999

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois soccer continued its season of firsts Sunday in a 3-1 win over Wisconsin.

In just their third season, the Illini received their first national ranking at No. 21 earlier in the week. Illinois, who won 1 and 3 Big Ten matches in the last two years, respectively, has now started 2-0 in the conference for the first time in team history and is off to its best eight-match start at 7-1 overall. The win over the 12th-ranked Badgers also marked the first win over a ranked opponent in school history. Illinois defeated previously ranked Minnesota, 2-1 in 20T on Friday.

?This was a huge weekend,? said senior midfielder Kelly Buszkiewicz, who had a goal an assist on the day. ?Today was our best performance yet, from both a skill level and our ability to play as a team.?

Indeed Illinois dominated every aspect of the match, out-shooting the Badgers 14-3 and keeping the ball outside the zone all afternoon. Early in the match Wisconsin was called for a foul inside the box on a corner kick. That gave the Illini their third penalty kick opportunity of the year. Buszkiewicz took advantage of the opportunity with her second goal of the season at the 13:08 mark of the first half.

Much of the match was played in the midfield, where time and time again, Illinois won balls in the air. Julie Schueller, Emily Brown, and Buszkiewicz were key in keeping Wisconsin from getting attacks. Illinois scored two goals in the final 15 minutes of the match to squelch any chances for a Wisconsin comeback. Junior Sarah Rowland blasted a shot past Wisconsin goaltender Katie Spilane off an assist from Buszkiewicz at the 74:38 mark. Nine minutes later Brown picked the pocket of a Wisconsin defender in front of the Badger net and knocked home an insurance goal at the 83:04 mark.

?We?re creating our opportunities,? said Taliaferro. ?Our aggressiveness has allowed us to keep in the ball in their defensive third of the field and take away the chances by our opponents.?

In a sea of underclassmen, Buszkiewicz, a co-captain, has led quietly. ?Last year, I was more vocal,? Buszkiewicz said. ?This year I?m just trying to lead by example.?

After a heading in two goals against Missouri a week ago then flicking in the winning goal with her head in overtime Friday, Brown?s nifty final goal proved that the sophomore from Winnetka has the total package. ?Every time she touches the ball, she is a threat,? said Taliaferro. ?She has so many tricks and never ceases to amaze me.?

Wisconsin (4-2-2, 0-2) did threaten twice late, and finally scored on a goal by Heather Preister off a direct kick at 87:09, but the Illini fans were already well into their celebration.

?(The start) was certainly more than I expected,? said Illinois coach Taliaferro. ?I couldn?t ask for a better weekend. We came out focused and ready to go.?

Amy Bessette had another solid match in goal with two saves. She has allowed just two goals in 383 minutes for a 0.47 goals against average.