@IlliniSoccer Plays to Scoreless Draw at Indiana

Bloomington, Ind. - Fighting Illini Soccer opened Big Ten play at Indiana in a double-overtime match on Friday night, Sept. 18. The two teams played to a scoreless draw, and Illinois will move to 6-1-1 on the season while Indiana moves to 3-3-3. The Illini outshot the Hoosiers 22-12, led by redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws who accounted for six of UI's shots and three on goal. The tie is the first for Illinois this season, and the first tie against Indiana since the two teams played to a 1-1 draw in 2009. 

Friday's game marks the third consecutive opponent that Illinois has held scoreless this season as the Illini topped Portland 1-0 and earned a 1-0 victory over Northern Kentucky. UI has outshot its last three opponents 62-23. 

The offensive efforts were spread around on the night as nine Illini recorded at least one shot and four carded shots on goal. Senior Nicole Breece, sophomore Kara Marbury and freshman Katie Murray all tallied three shots on the night for the Orange and Blue; Breece was able to get one of her shots on goal as well. 

Both teams were scoreless heading into the second half of play, the Illini tallied nine shots before the halftime break but were only able to get one on goal.  UI limited Indiana to just four shots despite giving up two corners in the half. The Illini fired four of the first five shots of the game.

Illinois came on strong in the second half, firing two shots in the first five minutes of play. Breece took advantage of a breakaway early on, and Flaws fired a shot on goal just a few seconds later. The Illini limited Indiana to just two shots in the first 30 minutes of the second half while firing four of their own. The Orange and Blue defense worked hard not to let any Hoosiers inside the 18, and their efforts showed. At the end of regulation, the Illini had outshot the Hoosiers by 10, allowing just one shot on goal. 

The Illini kept the pressure on during the overtime periods, forcing Indiana to give up a corner kick minutes before the final buzzer sounded. Illinois fired one shot on goal in each of the overtime periods, but was unable to capitalize on any of its attempts. 

Junior goalkeeper Claire Wheatley added two saves to her season tally, and she moves to 6-1-1 on the season. Wheatley played all 110 minutes for Illinois on the night. 

The Illini will continue Big Ten play on Sunday, heading to Purdue for a 12 p.m. CT contest. The match will be streamed at BTN2Go.com, and a recap will be posted on FIGHTINGILLINI.com following the match.