Illinois is...
...playing in its first BTN televised game of the season Thursday
...hosting Soccerfest on Sunday
...hosting both Rutgers and Maryland for the first time ever
...92-76-18 all-time in B1G regular season play
...fifth in the B1G with 14 assists on the season
...has tallied the fourth-most goals in the B1G (17)
ILLINOIS VS. RUTGERS
>Series History: Illinois and Rutgers will meet for the second time in program history on Thursday. The game will air on Big Ten Network at 7 p.m. The Illini traveled to Piscataway, N.J. last season, dropping the contest, 2-1.
>Scouting the SCARLET KNIGHTS: Undefeated Rutgers has shutout its first eight opponents this season, including Maryland, who the Illini will see on Sunday. Rutgers spreads out the scoring chances, as 10 Scarlet Knights have recorded a goal this season.
ILLINOIS VS. MARYLAND
>Series History: Illinois and Maryland will also meet for the second time in program history on Sunday, Sept. 27. The first meeting ended with a 1-1 tie in double-overtime.
> Scouting the Terrapins: With a 5-4 record on the season, Maryland is coming to Illinois off of a loss to Rutgers. The Terps will see Northwestern on Thursday before traveling down to Champaign. Sophomore Alex Anthony leads the Terps as she has recorded six goals this season, she is tied with Jannelle Flaws as they both have four game-winning goals to their names.
Limiting the Opponent
The Illini have done a great job of limiting their opponents shot this season. UI has outshot its opponent in six games this season, firing a team total 137 shots while only allowing 99 shots from opponents. The Illini held Northern Kentucky to just four shots in the game, the fewest for an opposing team since Illinois allowed just four shots from Indiana last season (9/18/2014). Illinois' 29 shots in the game mark the most for an Illinois team since firing 29 shots against Oakland in 2014 (Aug. 31). The Illini have held four opponents to single-digit shots this season. Prior to facing Purdue on Sept. 20, Illinois had held three consecutive opponents scoreless for the second year in a row. The Illini shutout Nebraska (3-0), Indiana (2-0) and Purdue (3-0) in consecutive games last season.
Scoring Mentality
With seven games under its belt, the Illini are more than one-third of the way through the regular season. That being said, Illinois has already recorded over half the number of goals scored in the 2014 season. The Illini have 17 goals this season and closed 2014 with 30 total goals. Jannelle Flaws leads Illinois with eight goals, already halfway to her tally last season (16).
Flaws Breaks Career Goals Record in Style
Redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws shattered Tara Hurless' career goals record in style on Sunday, Aug. 30. After tying the record (47) against TCU on Aug. 28, Flaws notched a hat trick in a span of nine minutes against Saint Louis to break the record. She finished the game with 50 career goals. Next up for Flaws is the Big Ten career record, which is set at 91 by Penn State's Tiffany Weimer.
Tracking Flaws' Career Stats
Redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws sits in the top 10 in several career categories in the Illinois soccer record book. She ranks first in goals (51), second in shots on goal (142), second in points (114) and third in shots (307). In Big Ten games only, she owns the most goals (27) and points (58) in school history. Flaws needs just two points to become the all-time career points leader in UI history.
Second-Quickest Illini Hat Trick
The three goals in 9:27 by Jannelle Flaws against Purdue last season (9/21/14) was previously the second-fastest hat trick in school history behind Vanessa DiBernardo, who scored three goals in 8:49 as part of a school-record four goals against Purdue (10/1/10). Flaws surpassed that record against Saint Louis on Aug. 30 as she recorded three goals in exactly nine minutes, leading the Illini over Saint Louis (3-1) and breaking the Illinois career goals record.
Top of the Nation
Illini standout Jannelle Flaws not only leads the team in several categories this season, but she is also among the nation's leaders. Flaws ranks third in the country for her four game-winning goals this season. She sits 11th country with her 1.143 goals per game,. while her eight goals ranks ninth in the country and her 20 points rank seventh.
As a team, Illinois ranks 44th in the nation for its .722 win-loss-tied percentage.
League Leaders
Jannelle Flaws sits among the top-five on several conference lists so far this season. Flaws has a league-leading eight goals, 20 points and 4 game winning goals this year. She is fourth in the B1G for her 46 shots on the year and second for her four assists.
Junior Claire Wheatley grabbed a season-best eight saves against Washington, and boasts a season tally of 36, which ranks seventh in the league this season. She averages 4.00 saves per game, good for sixth in the conference.
As a team, the Illini rank fourth in the league with 48 points and 17 goals so far this season. Michigan is in the lead with 25 goals on the year. The Illini are sixth in the B1G with 14 assists on the year as well.
Starting Strong
With four consecutive wins to start the season, the Illini notched one of the best starts to the year since 2011 when Illinois won its first four games and finished with an NCAA second round appearance. The Illini topped Gonzaga, Toledo, Ball State and Louisville before falling to USC in the fifth game of the year.
Preseason Big Ten Polls
Illinois was slated to finish fifth in the league in this year's Big Ten Preseaon Poll. After finishing seventh in the league last season, the Illini return nine of 11 starters from last year's team, bringing back a wealth of experience. Redshirt senior, Jannelle Flaws, junior defender, Hope D'Addario, and senior midfielder, Nicole Breece on the Big Ten's Preseason Players to Watch List.
Breaking Down the Schedule
Illinois will play a challenging 2015 schedule, which features matchups with several top-25 opponents. Illinois will face two opponents for the first time in Northern Kentucky and TCU. The Illini will also see a familiar face as former Illini assistant coach, Eric Bell, will lead the Horned Frogs to Champaign for the first-ever match up with his former team. The Illini will face three NCAA Tournament teams duruing the 2015 slate.
Illini in Exhibition Play
Before jumping into the 2015 season, the Illini put themselves to the test with some challenging exhibition matchups. Illinois went head-to-head with NCAA runner up, Virginia before facing last year's No. 11-ranked Notre Dame. Rayfield was excited for the two challenges, hoping they would help point out areas in which the team could fine tune prior to the season opener against Oakland.
Summer Soccer
The Illini were busy this summer as several of the Orange and Blue spent their time playing all over the country. Redshirt senior Janelle Flaws and junior Kara Marbury spent their summer making an impact in the W-League for the Seattle Sounders Women, while junior Hope D'Addario was called up to help the United States on the U23 National Team at the Four Nations Tournament.
Osmundson Joins Staff for 2015
Head coach Janet Rayfield welcomed Missouri State graduate, Allie Osmundson to the Fighting Illini staff for the 2015 season. Osmundson brings with her four years of coaching experience, working with both men's and girl's programs. Osmundson led the Marshalltown High School girls soccer program to two-straight winning seasons, also coaching 25 All-Conference players, four All-District players, one All-Division player and one All-State team player. Osmundson also served as the Assistant Men's Soccer Coach at Marshalltown Community College where she helped with preparing drills and scouting reports as well as managing equipment and travel arrangements. She helped guide the team to the 2012 NJCAA Tournament and has coached three NJCAA All-Americans. Osmundson was a team captain and three-time All-Conference player at Missouri State.
Flaws on MAC Hermann Watch List
Senior Jannelle Flaws was selected to the Missouri Athletic Club (MAC) Hermann Trophy watch list for the 2015 season, which is the most prestigious individual award in NCAA soccer. The nomination marks the second consecutive season Flaws has been recognized on the watch list prior to beginning the year. She also was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Preseason Best Second Team and a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch. Flaws is coming off a 2014 season in which she was named a third-team NSCAA All-American, a first-team All-Region selection and a unanimous pick for Big Ten Forward of the Year, making her the first Illini to win the conference's top honor in consecutive seasons.
Wheatley Stepped Up in Year Two
Junior Claire Wheatley started the final 18 games in goal and played in all 20 contests last season, posting an 8-7-2 record with six solo shutouts along with being part of two other shutouts with junior Michelle Denley. Wheatley made 66 saves, which tied for ninth in the Big Ten. She allowed 19 goals in 1,715 minutes for a 1.00 goals against average (GAA). The Plano, Texas, native allowed 31 fewer goals compared to 2013 when she allowed 50 goals in the 23 contests. Denley started the first two games of the year and played in three games, notching a 2-1-0 record. The transfer from Bowling Green owns 10 saves and a 1.26 GAA.
Breece's 3 Assists Tied Illini Record
Senior Nicole Breece equaled the school record with three assists against UAB last season, becoming the fifth Illini to accomplish the feat and first since 2003. Breece added her name to an exclusive list of Illini who have tallied three assists in a game, joining Eva Strickland (2003), Tara Hurless (2002), Kelly Buszkiewicz (1998) and Rachel Smith (1997). The St. Louis, Missouri, native tied for eighth in the Big Ten with a career-high seven assists.
All-Time Wins Counter
Since becoming a varsity sport in 1997, the University of Illinois women's soccer team has compiled an overall record of 222-140-30 with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 18 seasons. Head coach Janet Rayfield (165-98-27) is responsible for 74 percent of those wins and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in her 13 seasons at the helm.
UI NCAA Tournament History
Illinois has played in the NCAA Tournament 12 times in 17 seasons and are 11-12-3 all-time in tournament action. UI's top finish was the Elite Eight during the 2004 season, while they also reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2006, 2008 and 2013.
Illinois on the Big Ten Network
Two University of Illinois women's soccer home games will appear live on the Big Ten Network during the 2015 season. The Illini's game against Rutgers on Sept. 24 (7 p.m.) was selected to air on BTN along with Illinois' contest against Nebraska on Oct. 18, which has been slated for a 2 p.m. start. BTN will also televise the semifinals and championship game of the Big Ten Tournament, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed of the tournament following the quarterfinal round.
Illinois Online
Seven Illinois games are slated to stream online this season. The Illini will have six games on BTN+, which can be accessed at BTN2Go.com, and the others can be accessed through FIGHTINGILLINI.com. Links to the games will be posted on the Illini Soccer schedule page and also promoted through social media. UI's next live stream will be against against Ohio State on Oct. 2, available at http://fightingillini.com.
