Oct. 17, 2004
Box Score
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illini goalkeeper Leisha Alcia made 13 saves and sophomore defender Sarah Brown tallied her second goal of the weekend as the 24th-ranked Illini (11-4-1) held on for a 1-1 draw against Indiana (8-5-2). A crowd of 609 came out to Illinois Soccer Stadium to celebrate the accomplishments of five Illini players and one manager on senior day as Illinois wrapped up conference play at home this season.
The Illini held a 1-0 lead for the majority of match until the Hoosiers were able to score the tying goal at the 89:45 mark. While the Illini were disappointed to lose the victory in the closing seconds of regulation, the Orange and Blue responded well in overtime, holding on for the tie.
"It was obviously a disappointing result, allowing a goal with 15 seconds left," said Illini assistant coach Eric Bell. "Going into overtime we thought we played pretty well. It was a good response although it was a bad goal to give up at the time."
Similar to Friday against Purdue, the Illini were the first to convert when Brown and senior forward Tara Hurless again teamed up to deliver a goal for the Illini. Using her 6'1" frame, Brown was able to gain control of a pass from Hurless to knock a header past IU goalkeeper Lauren Fabbro. It was Brown's second goal of the season and Hurless' seventh assist this year.
The Illinois goal worked to fire up the Hoosiers, who out-shot the Illini throughout the match, but it was Alcia who proved her All-American status, making 13 saves on the day. Illinois would head into halftime with the 1-0 lead and maintain control over Indiana until the 89:45 mark in the match when IU leading scorer Kim Grodek would be on the receiving end of a service from Megan Pipkens that hit Kristen Zmijewski, who found Grodek to fire the shot that would send the match into overtime. The Illini fired three shots during the extra periods, but were unable to get the win.
Despite the extra periods, both teams battled throughout the match and kept the intensity high from beginning to end.
"This was a typical Big Ten game," said Bell. "It's going to be physical. It's going to be hard. It's a game in which both teams are going to be physically worn out at the end. Indiana came off a double overtime game against Northwestern (Friday). We had a tough game on Friday against Purdue. Both teams were tough from a physical standpoint."
Celebrating senior day, the Illini got great performances from all five of its senior athletes, who make up a large portion of the Orange and Blue starting lineup.
"We've been riding the wave of senior leadership all year," Bell commented. "From a leadership standpoint, (the Illini seniors) did very well today. Leisha (Alcia) had an outstanding game defending the goal. She had big saves throughout the game, in the final minutes and in overtime that kept us in the game."
Up Next: The Illini head to Evanston, Ill. to close out the Big Ten season against the Northwestern Wildcats Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.
