Oct. 15, 2003
Click Here for complete Women's Soccer Notes (PDF)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Scouting Indiana
The Hoosiers enter the weekend with a record of 6-6-1, but have been hot as of late, going 3-0-1 in their last four games. Last weekend, they battled Michigan to a 0-0 tie and topped Michigan State 3-2 in a dramatic overtime contest. Indiana currently stands at 3-3-1 in Big Ten play, which puts them in a tie for fourth place with Michigan.
Junior Kim Grodek has scored four goals on the year to lead a Hoosier offense that has scored 15 goals this season. Sophomore Kristen Zmijewski and Freshman Missy Vierling have each chipped in with three goals, while freshman Ali Brown leads the team in assists with three. Defensively, the Hoosiers have allowed 11 goals on the season. Senior Shaunna Daugherty (0.72 GAA) and freshman Stacey Van Boxmeer (0.92 GAA) have split time in goal. Head Coach Mick Lyon is in his second season with the Hoosiers, where he has a record of 16-13-3. Illinois leads the all-time series with IU 3-2-1 and has won the last three meetings, including a 2-1 win in Champaign last season.
Scouting Purdue
Purdue enters the weekend in a tie with the Illini for second place in the Big Ten; the two teams have identical 5-1-1 marks. The Boilermakers have an overall record of 9-2-2 and are currently ranked 14th in the latest NSCAA/Adidas coaches poll. Last weekend, Purdue topped Michigan State 2-1 tied Michigan 1-1 in 2OT thanks to a Lauren Sesselmann goal with just 22 seconds left in regulation.
A trio of upperclassmen lead a balanced Purdue offense which has seen 14 different players score goals this season. Senior Annette Kent paces the Boilermaker attack with seven goals and five assists on the season, while junior Lauren Sesselman (6g, 5a) and senior Courtney Coppedge (5g, 4a) have also been dangerous. Freshman Lauren Mason has seen most the action in goal for the Boilermakers. She has made 39 saves and carries a GAA of 0.73 in 991 minutes. Head Coach Robert Klatte is in his sixth season with Purdue, where he has a mark of 57-45-8. Illinois leads the all-time series 3-1-1 and won last year's meeing in Champaign on the final day of the regular season, 3-2, on a goal by Meghan Kolze with only :28 seconds left on the clock.
Let's Review
The 25th ranked Illini split a pair of games vs. ranked opponents last weekend to drop into a tie for second place in the Big Ten with three conference matches left. First on Friday night, Illinois put its undefeated Big Ten record on the line against #11 Ohio State and came away with a 2-0 victory. Freshman Jessica Bayne and junior Tara Hurless scored for the Illini, while Kelly Campbell, Andrea Ridgeway and Bayne were all credited with assists. GK Leisha Alcia had to make only two saves to earn her sixth shutout of the season.
Then on Sunday afternoon, UI fell 2-0 to five-time defending conference champion and 14th ranked Penn State. The Illini held an 8-5 edge in corner kicks and had several golden scoring opportunities in the second half, but were unable to convert. Alcia kept the game close by stopping a season-high eight shots, but it was not enough.
Big Ten Race Heating Up
With three games left in the conference season, Illinois currenlty stands in a tie with Purdue for second place. Each team has a mark of 5-1-1 in Big Ten play (16 points) to trail Penn State's 6-1-0 mark (18 points). The Nittany Lions will host Wisconsin and Minnesota this weekend. All-time, the Illini have compiled a 33-38-4 record against Big Ten foes, including a 5-5 mark in the Big Ten Tournament. Over the last three-plus seasons, Illinois has gone 24-16-2 in conference play. In 2002, the Illini finished the regular season with a 4-6-0 record in league play, earning the eighth seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Illini Impressive on the Road Thus Far
This season, the Illini have turned around the road woes that plagued them last season. After posting a 2-9-1 mark away from home in 2002, and a dreadful 0-5 record in Big Ten away matches, the Illini are 4-1 in road games this season and are a perfect 3-0 vs. the Big Ten. The only loss was in overtime at #17 Auburn back on Sept. 7. Illinois has an all-time record of 23-28-4 on the road.
Spreading the Wealth
Head Coach Janet Rayfield had attributed much of this year's success to the offensive balance the Illini have shown this year. 13 different players have been in on the 22 Illini goals this season. In wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota on 10/3 and 10/5, five different players scored the five Illini goals. Tiffani Walker, Jessica Bayne, Andrea Ridgeway, Brittany Ward and Tara Hurless all found the back of the net in the 2-1 and 3-1 victories. This season, four different players have put at least three scores on the board and eight different players have at least two assists. Hurless leads the team in goals with six, while Ridgeway and Christen Karniski lead the squad in assists with four apiece.
Defense Posts Record Scoreless Streak
Earlier in the season, the Illini posted a streak of over 475 consecutive minutes of shoutout ball, breaking the previous school record of 392:48 set back in 1999. During that streak, the Illini also set a new school record by earning five straight shutouts, breaking the old mark of four, also set in 1999.
In 13 games this season, the Illini have allowed just 51 shots on goal (3.9 per game) and have given up only eight goals. In Big Ten play, they have allowed just four goals to lead the league. Illinois currently ranks 18th in the nation in team goals-against-average (0.60) and 24th in the country in shutout percentage (.54), by shutting-out their opponent in seven of 13 matches.
Alcia Breaks Career Saves Mark
With three saves against Minnesota on 10/5, junior goalkeeper Leisha Alcia became the new Illinois career saves leader. The Mississauga, Ontario native, who now has 224 career saves, eclipsed Amy Bessette's record of 211, set from 1997-99. Alcia has 42 saves so far this season and has allowed just eight goals for a 0.61 goals-against-average, which rankes 21st in the nation.
Already this year, Alcia has become the Illinois career shoutout leader (10.0) and goals against average leader (1.27), in addition to establishing a new record for consecutive shutouts (5.0). She also played a big part in Illinois holding its opponents scoreless for a span of 475:09, also a new school record.
Strickland Breaks out, Ties Assist Mark
Illini freshman Eva Strickland busted out of her season long scoring slump by dishing out assists on all three goals in the win over Minnesota on 10/5. The three assists in one game tied the Illinois record for most assists in a game, which is now shared by Strickland, Rachel Smith and current Illini junior Tara Hurless, who dished out three assists in Illinois' 4-3 Big Ten Tournament win over Penn State in 2002. Strickland, a Seattle, Wash. native, had been scoreless in 10 games prior to her performance vs the Gophers.
Illini Quotes
Coach Janet Rayfield on how the team will respond to the Penn State loss:
"We are going to go right back to what we have been doing, and that's working hard on our defense and working hard everyday at practice. This game, even though it is a loss, is going to make us better."
Rayfield on the Indiana Hoosiers, Friday's opponent:
"Indiana is a young team that has been getting better and better every week, so we have to continue to get better if we think we are going to compete against them on Friday."
Illini Climb In National Rankings
The Illini moved up in both the NSCAA/Adidas Coaches Poll and the Soccer Buzz Magazine Top 25 this week, and appeared in the Soccer Times poll for the first time as well. Illinois moved from 25th to 20th in the coaches poll, from 23rd to 18th in the Soccer Buzz poll, and enter the Soccer Times poll in the 23rd spot. The 20th ranking in the coaches poll is the Illini's highest since 9/3/01, when they were ranked 18th. Illinois' highest ever ranking in the coaches poll is 15th, back on 9/21/99.
UI Third in Great Lakes Region Poll
After holding the fourth position in both polls last week, the Orange and Blue moved up to the third position in both the NSCAA/Adidas and Soccer Buzz Great Lakes Region Polls, after going 1-1 vs. a pair of ranked teams last weekend. Purdue holds down the second spot in both regional polls, while Indiana is ranked ninth in the coaches poll.
Illinois vs. Ranked Opponents
After going 1-16 in their first 17 games against ranked opponents up through October of 2001, the Illini have since gone 6-5 vs. Top 25 teams, including a 3-2 mark last season and a 2-2 record so far this season. All-time, Illinois is 7-21 (.333) vs. ranked teams. The Orange and Blue's first win over a ranked team came on Sept. 19, 1999 when they topped #12 Wisconsin, 3-1, at Illinois Soccer Stadium. The Illini will be looking for their third win vs. a ranked team this season when they face #14 Purdue on Sunday. Earlier this year, the Illini topped #17 Michigan State and #11 Ohio State.
