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Normal, Ill. - After a scoreless first half of play, senior Reagan Robishaw's second-half goal would be the deciding factor at Illinois State on Sunday night (Aug. 23). The Illini improve to 2-0-0 on the season with the 1-0 victory.
"It was certainly the battle we expected, Illinois State was on their home field and it's an in-state rivalry," head coach Janet Rayfield said of the gritty matchup. "We told our players that they were going to come out swinging. The first 20 minutes we were on our heels, it's a credit to them, they really got the ball around and really create some chances."
The Redbirds came out of the gates ready to play on Sunday night, firing their first shot on goal just 19 seconds into the match, and proved to be an offensive force for the first 20 minutes of play. Freshman Patricia George got the game moving for UI, however, as she fired the first shot of the game for the Illini in the 21st minute. George crossed the goal ending up wide right, but junior Summer Shafer gained possession for the Illini and drilled another shot at the Redbird net.
Illinois State found more scoring opportunities, only to be shut down by junior Claire Wheatley who tallied her four saves in the first half. The Redbirds were once able to get past Wheatley, but sophomore Sarah Warren was waiting in the goal to clear the shot and shift the momentum in favor of the Orange and Blue.
"I liked our defensive mentality tonight," Rayfield said. "We did everything we could to keep the ball out of the back of the net. Sometimes that's what you need to win a game like this. We showed some defensive pride tonight, which I think is a good thing. We withstood a physical battle and certainly showed some grit."
Illinois fired five shots in the last 10 minutes of the first half, working hard to capitalize on its five corner kicks taken before the break in play. The Fighting Illini tallied eight first-half shots to ISU's six, but the Redbirds drilled four shots on goal in the half to Illinois' one.
Illinois State started the second half out with a shot right off the bat as well, but the Illini would soon take advantage of the game. In the 59th minute, Flaws dished a perfect pass up the middle, and Robishaw used her speed to beat an ISU defender to inside the top of the box. Robishaw fired a shot to the left of the keeper, putting the Illini up 1-0 in the game. She now has two goals on the season, equaling her season total from 2014.
The Redbirds were aggressive until the end, but gritty defensive play from the Illini helped maintain the 1-0 advantage up until the final whistle.
"I think we've got a lot of work to do this week," Rayfield said of the upcoming schedule. "But, it's great to be at home again this weekend with TCU and Saint Louis. We've got Coach Bell, our former assistant coming back to town and I know he's going to have his team ready to play. I'm excited to get this team back on the training field, we are going into the week looking forward to getting better. "
The Illini will host TCU at 7 p.m. on Friday night (Aug. 28), before welcoming Saint Louis at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 30. Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest on Illini Soccer.
