Oct. 9, 2005

Box Score

St. Paul, Minn. - Natasha Karniski scored in the third minute, but Illinois gave up two second-half goals as it fell 2-1 to Minnesota in front of 843 fans at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium. The Golden Gophers picked up their fifth consecutive win while the Illini lost back-to-back games for the first time since 2004.

Karniski (Iowa City, Iowa) scored only 2:51 into the game, the fastest Illini goal this season, off a pass from midfielder Marti Desjarlais (Pewaukee, Wis.). Karniski beat the goalkeeper to the ball and knocked it in from five yards to give Illinois (7-4-2 overall, 3-2-0 in the Big Ten) a 1-0 lead. The goal ties Karniski for most on the team with Jessica Bayne (Troy, Ill.) as each has four goals.

"We came out and played well the first half but didn't put them away, and instead of putting the foot on the gas, we didn't get another goal before halftime and left them in it," Illinois coach Janet Rayfield said. "They just fought and scrapped harder than we did today."

Illinois continued to play aggressively in the first half but was unable to finish any scoring opportunities, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Illini learned quickly that Minnesota would not relent as the Gophers (8-4-2, 5-1-0) scored less than three minutes into the second half as Nikki Jensen notched her first career goal at the 47:23 mark to tie the game. Lindsey Schwartz put the Gophers ahead for good in the 52nd minute after a crafty shot, giving Minnesota what would be the winning 2-1 margin.

"We should've won the ball in the midfield and prevented that goal," Rayfield said. "It was a great shot, but we didn't fight hard to win the ball before that."

It was only the third time all season that Illinois has lost a lead and the first game it has lost the game after giving up the lead. The Illini tied Stanford after scoring first and beat Wisconsin in overtime after letting the Badgers tie the game.

Illinois outshot the Gophers 17-8, including an 11-4 margin in the first half, and outcornered them 5-1. Minnesota keeper Molly Schneider kept the Illini from converting those opportunities, making six saves on Illinois' seven shots on goal. Minnesota scored twice on only four shots on goal.

"I don't think we have to reinvent the wheel, we just have to make a decision," Rayfield said. "This is a turning point for this team where they can decide that they're going to be a determined, fighting team like every other team in the Big Ten or there will be five long games the rest of the season. We have to make the decision to have a stronger mentality as a group."

The Illini return to action on Friday, hosting Michigan at 7 p.m. at Illinois Soccer Stadium.