Oct. 6, 2002
Final Stats
The Fighting Illini soccer team got its offense in gear on Sunday afternoon in a dominating performance at Illini Soccer Field. Illinois out shot their guests from Minnesota 25-7, including a 15-6 advantage in shots on goal, on their way to a 5-2 victory. With the win, Illinois ups its record to 6-6-0 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten, while the Golden Gophers fall to 6-6-0 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
Minnesota got on the board first when junior Rachel Roth knocked home her ninth goal of the year on a penalty kick to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead at the 28:28 mark. That lead was shot-lived however, as Illinois' Tara Hurless scored less than a minute later to tie game at 1-1. After a Minnesota foul deep at their end of the field, Illinois senior Tara Schuling lofted a free kick into the box, and Hurless was able to head it into the net from 10 meters out. It was Hurless' team leading eighth goal of the season.
The Illini went up 2-1 on a breakaway goal by Andrea Ridgeway at the 40:08 mark. Illinois goalkeeper Leisha Alcia launched a punt that sailed over everyone. Ridgeway was the first to the ball and she sprinted towards the goal and beat the Minnesota keeper Karli Kopietz for the score. Kopietz was injured on the play and was replaced by backup Marni Prall. For Alcia, it was her first career assist.
In the second half, Illinois took control of the game when freshman Paula Faherty passed through the Gopher defense to junior Tiffani Walker, who scored on a breakaway to give the Illini a 3-1 lead at the 70:17 mark. Exactly five minutes later, Walker would add her second goal of the day, and her fourth of the season, to put the Illini up 4-1. Freshman Laura Redmond found Faherty on the right side, who crossed the ball into Walker for the score from 12 meters out.
The Illini would add one more goal at the 78:15 mark on a free kick by Tara Schuling from straight on just outside the box. The free kick was awarded after a Minnesota player was called for a handball. The Golden Gophers would add a late goal by Keely Dinse to set the final score at 5-2.
It was an extremely physical game that saw nearly 50 fouls called on the two teams, 25 by Minnesota and 24 by the Illini. However, the Illini players were able to keep their composure and control the game from start to finish.
"Today we came ready to compete and it was typical of a Big Ten game," said Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield. "It was a hard physical battle, but this time we were ready to be physical with them and challenge and that made the difference. Also we finished goals today, we've created lots of chances in games before, but it's nice to put five goals on the board.
Leisha Alcia tallied five saves on the afternoon and picked up the win. Minnesota used three different keeper in the game. Karli Kopietz collected six saves, but gave up the first two goals and was charged with the loss. Marni Prall gave up the final three Illini goals and also notched three saves. Kelly Kraft also saw a few minutes of action in goal for the Gophers.
"This win was huge," said Rayfield, "losing this game would have really put us in a hole in the Big Ten. Now it's a battle, now it's a fight. Scoring the goals was great, it gives us a little confidence going into Penn State. I think if you look at the Big Ten, it's who shows up to play that day, so we better show up to play next weekend and have the same kind of bite there that we had today."
Up Next: The Illini hit the road for a tough Big Ten weekend. On Friday, October 11, the Orange and Blue will take on their arch nemesis, #12 Penn State. Three of the last four meetings with the Nittany Lions have gone to overtime, including last season's Big Ten Tournament Championship game. Then on Sunday, October 13, the Illini will travel to Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes.
