Sept. 28, 2008

Box Score

EVANSTON, Ill. - The No. 17 Illinois soccer team (7-4, 1-1 Big Ten) was unable to overcome a first-half deficit, falling, 1-0, to the Northwestern Wildcats (6-4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon at Lakeside Field. The Illini out-cornered the Wildcats, 10-3, and collected six shots on frame, including two from sophomore forward Christina Sahly, but the late surge fell short as Illinois suffered its first Big Ten loss of the season.

"Today was a lot less about finesse and more about battling, and Northwestern just battled harder than we did in the first half," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "We looked a little lethargic in the first half. In the Big Ten, you have to battle for 90 minutes, and we only played hard and battled for 45."

Both teams came out aggressively in the early minutes, but it was Northwestern whose rhythm paid off in the 26th minute on set piece. Wildcat forward Sam Greene sailed a corner kick into the box where Jeanette Lorme flicked the ball into the right corner to give Northwestern a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

"It's not who gets the first goal, it's how you respond to that first goal," Rayfield said. "We talked about battling at halftime and I thought we responded well. We came back out, fought and created chances. But in the Big Ten, you can't just be the team that responds when you're on the road. You have to try to impose your mentality and style, and we didn't do that in the first half today."

Illinois' best opportunities came late in the second half, as the Illini attack began to press and get behind the Northwestern defense. With 15 minutes left on the clock, junior midfielder Jackie Santacaterina beat her defender and centered a pass to sophomore forward Jordan Hilbrands, but Hilbrands chip shot sailed over the net.

The Orange and Blue continued to pressure as the clock wound down, as sophomore forward Chichi Nweke narrowly missed getting the equalizer when her shot under seven minutes bounced just outside the right post. Wildcat goalkeeper Carolyn Edwards also made some critical stops in the closing minutes to preserve the shutout for Northwestern.

In addition to out-cornering the Wildcats, the Illini also held a 19-11 shot advantage. Illini goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka had two saves, while the Illinois defense also chipped in one.

Illinois returns home for the upcoming weekend, hosting Michigan State and Michigan in Big Ten action. The Illini host the Spartans at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 3 before concluding the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 5 against Michigan at 1 p.m. at the Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium. Sunday's match is the annual SoccerFest event, with free admission for everyone and free food for the first 2,000 fans. SoccerFest also features live entertainment and inflatable games. Gates open at 11:30 a.m.