Oct. 31, 2006
Complete Big Ten Tournament Notes in PDF Format
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This Week:
Nov. 2-5
Big Ten Tournament
University Park, Pa.
Gametracker for all matches
Championship on CSTV, Monday at 1 pm
Illini Storylines
Illinois is...
...10-7 all-time in the Big Ten Tournament
...6-3 in the Big Ten Tournament under Rayfield
...7-1 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament
...13-2 when scoring a goal
...12-1 when scoring first
...8-0 when scoring at least two goals
...7-1 when leading at halftime
...11-1 when allowing fewer than two goals
...4-1 when wearing orange uniforms
...7-1 at home
...5-0 vs. ranked teams at home
Leading Off
Fancy Meeting You Here: No. 2 seed Illinois faces Wisconsin in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, the second time the teams have met this season. The Illini took care of the Badgers 4-2 on the first weekend of conference play in Madison behind three-point matches by Eva Strickland and Courtney Bell.
Illini in the Big Ten Tournament: Illinois is making its ninth-straight appearance in the conference tournament, only missing the event in 1997, the program's first year. The nine-year streak is the third-longest active string in the conference, behind 12-year runs by Penn State and Michigan, meaning both schools have qualified for every Big Ten Tournament.
• The Illini are 10-7 in the conference tourney, with a title in 2003. Interestingly, that title came with Illinois as the second seed and this season is the only other time the Illini have earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament. In 2003, Illinois won all three games by the same 2-0 score on its way to a title.
• Illinois has never lost an opening-round match in which it was the better seed, going 5-0. However, Wisconsin won the teams' only conference tournament meeting in 2002, when the fifth-seeded Badgers downed the No. 8 Illini, 1-0.
• In its eight Big Ten Tournament appearances, Illinois has advanced to at least the second round seven times, posting a 7-1 first-round record. Illinois' only opening-round loss was to top seed and eventual champion Penn State, a 1-0 decision, in 1998. Since then, the Illini have rattled off seven straight first-round wins.
Keep Tabs On the Illini: During the Big Ten Tournament, Gametracker will be available on fightingillini.com for all matches, in addition to the usual recap, box score and quotes. In addition, recaps of every tournament match will be available on bigten.org, and the championship match will be broadcast on a tape-delay on CSTV Monday at 1 p.m. CT.
Masterful Masar: Ella Masar has done a little bit of everything for Illinois this season, leading the team in nearly every statistical category, and leading the Big Ten with three game-winning goals in conference play. She was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for her heroics against then-No. 9 Penn State on Oct. 1. For more on Masar, see page 2.
Zurrer Earns Second Conference Honor: For the second time this season, sophomore defender Emily Zurrer was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23. This time, she earned the laurel after leading the Illini defense to a pair of shutout wins over ranked Purdue and Indiana squads. With the honor, Zurrer became the first non-goalkeeper to win multiple Defensive POW awards in the same season in conference history. She was also named to Teams of the Week by TopDrawerSoccer, Soccer Buzz, Soccer America and Soccer Times.
The Kids are All Right: Coming into the season as the No. 9 recruiting class in the country, Illinois' freshman class has proved itself again and again this season. Chichi Nweke is third on the team with 15 points, and Courtney Bell's 11 are good for fourth on the squad. Jackie Santacaterina has become a force in the midfield and Brittany Garrett stepped in at right back the past two weekends while Jessica Levitt battled a leg injury. For more on the freshman class, see page 3.
Illini Win Big Ten Attendance Crown: Illinois finished the Big Ten season with the highest average attendance at 1,056 per match, topping Ohio State's 1,012 average. The Illini broke their single-game, season and average attendance records this year, with 2,667 fans taking in the match against No. 9 Penn State, a total of 7,261 fans watching Illini Soccer in 2006 and an average of 908 fans coming to each match. In addition to the record-setting crowd against Penn State, the fourth-best crowd in school history of 935 fans saw the Illini down Syracuse earlier in the season.
*For complete Big Ten Tournament notes, see attached PDF file
