Soccer Set To Host Illini Cup This Weekend
August 26, 2003 | Soccer
Aug. 26, 2003
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This Week:
Illinois hosts the Illini Cup
at Illinois Soccer Field
Friday, Aug. 29
Ohio vs. SEMO * 4:30 p.m.
ILLINOIS vs. Oakland * 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31
Oakland vs. SEMO * Noon
ILLINOIS vs. Ohio * 3 p.m.
This Weekend's Opponents
Oakland Grizzlies
Oakland will be seeking it's fourth consecutive Mid-Continent Conference Championship and third staight NCAA Tournament appearance this year. The Grizzlies finished with a mark of 10-12-1 in 2002, falling to Michigan 1-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tourney. Last year's MCC Newcomer of the Year Kristi Swaving returns as the teams top goal scorer, she had 21 points on the season. Also returning for the Grizzlies is senior goalkeeper Sarah Buckland, last years MCC Tournament MVP. Joining Swaving and Buckland will be the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the Great Lakes Region according to soccerbuzz.com. The talented group of newcomers includes Lisa-Marie Woods, who is fresh off a stint with the Under-19 Norwegian National Team. The Grizzlies are coached by Nick O'Shea, who is 113-44-7 in nine seasons at Oakland.
Ohio Bobcats
Ohio enters the 2003 campaign as the favorite to win the Mid-American Conference according to the league's preseason coaches poll. The Bobcats posted an impressive mark of 15-5-2 in 2002, the second highest win total in school history. Anchoring the squad are a pair of all-confernce selections in Crystal Reed and Christel Schiering. Reed is a defensive stopper for the Bobcats, while Schiering, a senior forward from Cincinnatti, is the programs all-time leading goal scorer with 35 career tallies. Also, returning is junior goal keeper Michelle Meglaughlin, who posted a 1.21 goals-against-average in 2002, and notched 89 saves en route to seven shoutouts. The Bobcats are coached by Stacy Strauss, who is 37-23-2 in three seasons at Ohio.
Illini on TV
The Fighting Illini Television Network on Insight Market Place will be televising three UI soccer matches on a tape delay basis. The games involved will be Illinois State on Sept. 14, Michigan on Sept. 19, Michigan St. on Sept. 21.
They will be shown at 8:30 p.m. on all days listed. Insight Market Place can be seen on Channel 2 in Champaign-Urbana, Channel 13 in Decatur and Channel 5 in Springfield.
Below are the broadcast dates for the three games:
Illinois State - Replayed 9/17-9/23
Michigan - Replayed 9/24-9/30
Michigan State -Replayed 10/1-10/7
New Faces
Coach Rayfield welcomes a group of eight newcomers to this year's squad. Like last season, Rayfield expects the newcomers to contribute right away.
Headlining the six incoming freshman is forward Jessica Bayne. The Troy, Ill. natvie was MVP of the McDonald's All-America soccer game over the summer and was named the St. Louis Metro Area Athlete of the Year by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. She scored two goals in UI's 4-0 exhibition win over Marquette last Friday. F Eva Strickland, MF Quinn Reynolds, D Sarah Brown, D Michelle Nadeau and Champaign product Brittany Ward are all expected to make immediate impacts as well.
IUPUI transfer Mari Jo Kohler and walk-on Kimberly Coninx also join the squad this season. Kohler will battle for playing time in the defensive back field, while Coninx will in the midfield.
Home Sweet Home
In six seasons of soccer, Illinois has compiled a mark of 38-19-0 (.667) at home, including a mark of 27-12 (.692) at Illinois Soccer Stadium. The Illini have shutout their opponent in 16 of those 38 home wins.
In last season's nine home games, the Illini outscored their opponents by a 26-10 count en route to a 7-2 record. By contrast, they were outscored 24-10 away from home, where they went 2-9-1. This year, Illinois has 11 home games on it's schedule, while only seven are on the road.
Goal Digger
In this year's two exhibition games, junior Tara Hurless picked up right where she left off at the end of last season. The forward out of Rockford, Ill., scored three of the squad's five preseason goals, notching one against Indiana State and two at Marquette.
Hurless has scored 22 career goals, 10 and 12 in each of the past two seasons, and currently ranks third on the UI all-time scoring list, just one behind Lisa Baldwin for second.
Dog Day
Sunday's game vs. Ohio will be Dog Day at Illini Soccer Field. Anyone who brings their dog to the game will recieve free admission! In addition, the Illinois flyball and agility dogs will perform at halftime.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Penn State
2. Michigan
3. Wisconsin
4. Purdue
5. ILLINOIS
6. Michigan State
7. Indiana
8. Ohio State
9. Iowa
10. Northwestern
11. Minnesota
Up Next
The Illini will embark on their only non-conference road trip next weekend, making stops in Georgia and Alabama. First, the Orange and Blue will head to Athens, Ga. to take on the Georia Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. (ET). They will then travel to Auburn, Alabama to face the Tigers on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. (ET).
