Sept. 26, 1999
Valparaiso, Ind. -
Just call them "instant offense" or the "secret weapons." Whatever the name, a pair of freshmen, Tara Schuling and Laura Freeman, have provided immediate sparks to Illinois offensive attack off the bench.
That was no more evident than in Sunday's 4-0 win at Valparaiso. Freeman had a goal and an assist in the victory that got the 15th-ranked Illini (8-2) back on the winning track after a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss at Michigan Friday.
Freeman entered the match at 36:22 mark of the first half. Just over a minute later, Freeman flicked home the Illini's first goal - at the 37:53 mark to be precise. Reminiscent of the game-winning goal in the overtime win over Minnesota, the Illini's Kelly Buszkiewicz had a nice free kick from 35-yards to the right of the Valpo net. Freeman was in good position to punch it past Valparaiso goalkeeper Amy Cavanaugh. Illinois led 1-0 at the half.
As if to outdo herself in the second half. Freeman replaced sophomore sensation Emily Brown with 25:43 left in the match, then beat her defender and served up Sarah Rowland for the fourth goal for the Illini just 23 seconds later.
"We're a very deep team," said Illinois head coach Tricia Taliaferro. "Laura's a dangerous player who can the win the ball in the air and provide a lot of problems for other teams."
"This is a great team," noted Freeman. "When I come in I just want to provide a spark any way I can."
The open spaces of a fall Indiana afternoon provided a warm and gusty backdrop to Sunday's match. Despite going against the wind in the first half, the Illini managed to hold the Crusaders in check. Illinois out-shot Valpo 5-4 in the first half.
Valparaiso had the first opportunity but couldn't convert an indirect kick. Illini defenders Sue Hodson and Heidi Holtzman played key roles in the first half. Hodson deflected a set-up pass in front of her own goal and Holtzman was instrumental in keeping play inside the Valpo zone most of the first half.
Sophomore midfielder Hollie Schurr had the first Illinois opportunity when she split defenders and sent a shot toward the left corner of the net. Valparaiso goalkeeper Amy Cavanaugh came up with the save.
Sophomore Emily Brown also had a pair of chances on serves from sophomore Lindsay Johnson and Julie Schueller.
"The wind was definitely an issue," said Taliaferro. "But I attribute the lack of scoring in the first half to just a slow start. At halftime, we made it clear that we wanted to put the pressure on them right away in the second half."
With the wind in the second half, Illinois was simply dominating, out-shooting their counterparts, 16-2. Defenders Kim Doetzel, Hodson, and sophomores Heidi Holtzman and Stephanne Steinhoff nearly scored goals. Illinois set the tone early in the second half when sophomore Lindsay Johnson scored on an assist by Brown just 2:17 into the second half.
Brown didn't disappoint the Illini fans, scoring a goal in her ninth match this season, heading in a corner kick from Megan Kolze at the 25:43 mark. That was the third straight corner from Kolze in a minute's time, the first two nearly resulted in goals for Illinois.
At 8-2, Illinois has reached the mid-way point of the regular season with the second half focus on the Big Ten race. "We're not done yet," said Taliaferro. "We pleased with the start, but know that this young team can still accomplish more."
The Illini travel to Michigan State (Friday) and Northwestern (Sunday) before hosting Ohio State (Oct. 8) and Penn State (Oct. 10) the following weekend.
