With seven newcomers and seven returning starters this season, the Fighting Illini soccer squad will enter the 20^th season of Illinois soccer with a strong foundation and a deep roster.

The Illini are hosting Notre Dame in an exhibition match on Sunday, Aug. 14, beginning at noon. Admission to the contest is free, and the first 100 fans wearing Olympics-themed gear or a national or international jersey will receive an Illini soccer scarf. The Orange and Blue will host a free youth clinic following the game, open to children 8th grade and younger. To register for the clinic, please click here. There will be a Sunday Fan Zone prior to the game, and this week's "head on a stick" will be Michelle Denley. Throughout the season, all the Illini seniors will be featured as a "head on a stick," so be sure to collect them all. 

"I am excited for this season and excited to get this group going," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "This is a team with 11 seniors, and they have been waiting to get this season going since the last loss of 2015. The freshmen have come in and I think they have adjusted well. This group looks ready to go."

The Illini spent a week in Rantoul, Ill. prior to opening the 2016 slate with an exhibition contest against Notre Dame on Aug. 14. Known as Base Camp Rantoul, the Orange and Blue focused on team building, skills work and preparations for the upcoming season which officially begins on Aug. 19.

Illinois welcomes Morehead State and Illinois State to open the 20^th season of Illinois Soccer. The Eagles will bring a new challenge for the Illini as the two teams meet for the first time in program history. Morehead State returns OVC Freshman of the Year Abby Timm, and second-team All-OVC Dani Wilson to this year's squad.  The Illinois State Redbirds will visit Champaign the following Sunday, marking the 13^th meeting of the two programs. The Illini then hit the road for four consecutive matches. 

"We have back-to-back challenging weekends on the road against Missouri, Saint Louis, TCU and Texas A&M," Rayfield said of the non-conference slate. "Especially in Texas, we will face conditions that they're comfortable in and we're not in terms of the heat, and Texas A&M can bring in almost 8,000 screaming fans for their matches. We're putting our players in uncomfortable road conditions right from the beginning and that's going to be important. Throughout the non-conference slate we're putting the team in games where they have to take care of business both at home and on the road. I think our non-conference schedule is really that next step of preparation for a successful season."

The team will host Miami (Ohio) and Evansville in the final non-conference homestand of the year, opening Big Ten play at home against Purdue on September 15.

With a senior-laden squad, the Illini will have plenty of experience to lead the program into the conference slate.

"Our sophomore class really put in a lot of work this spring and we really saw them grow," Rayfield said. "I think fans are going to notice a lot of growth among some of our returners, led by a great group of seniors. Then we've got a strong freshman class added to that, so this might be the deepest roster we have had here at Illinois."

"We had a scrimmage immediately following our fitness testing during preseason and I think everyone looked great on the field even though we were all tired," junior Kara Marbury said. "This team's fitness and the ability to attack is going to be our strength this year."

On the front line, Illinois will return Marbury, along with senior Alia Abu-Douleh, junior Katherine Ratz and sophomore Patricia George, but will have a new look as career goals leader Jannelle Flaws graduated last season. The Illinois High School Gatorade Player of the Year, freshman Kelly Maday, will add more depth at the forward spot in addition to Taylor Haynes who comes from Rowlett, Texas.  

The Illini will be quite experienced throughout the midfield as redshirt senior Reagan Robishaw returns after suffering an injury early last year. She joins senior Allison Stucky and redshirt senior Taylore Peterson as well. Stucky netted three goals and tallied three assists last season, putting 10 of her 20 shots on frame. Now in her sophomore season, Katie Murray also returns to the Illini midfield. She scored two goals for the Orange and Blue in her inaugural season on the squad.  

Senior Hope D'Addario and junior Sarah Warren will look to lead the Illini defense this season. The back line also returns sophomore Morgan Maroney, while welcoming several freshmen to the position.

"We're going to try to be an organized defensive line this year," D'Addario said.  "We've made it our goal to be one of the best defensive teams in the Big Ten this season."

"Darci (Dietrich), Michelle (Denley) and I have been together for awhile now and we're a really tight-knit group," senior Claire Wheatley said of the UI goalkeepers. "Jaelyn (Cunningham) is fitting right in. I think it's going to be great this season, everyone has a great attitude going in to it. The competitive drive among us is huge, and that's what pushes everyone. Day-in and day-out it's about how much better can you be and how much better can you make the person next to you. And that goes for everyone on the field." 

Wheatley is a three-year starter for the Illini, and has racked up 254 saves throughout her career. Denley is also in her senior season, while Dietrich will enter her junior year. Cunningham joins the Illini from Reynoldsburg, Ohio, and brings with her several years of National Team experience.    

The Orange and Blue have a challenging Big Ten schedule, highlighted by two road trips to the East coast. First taking on Maryland and Rutgers, who was ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA Preseason rankings, then heading to No. 2 Penn State. 

"We have to go on the road and do our job this year," Rayfield said. "We have a pretty intense Big Ten travel schedule, so we have to get the job done on the road. Every little detail is going to make a difference for us." 

Illinois will look to make its sixth consecutive Big Ten Tournament appearance this season before returning to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2013. In 20 seasons of Illinois Soccer, the program has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances including three trips to the Sweet Sixteen.

"This team is the hardest working team I think we have ever had," Warren said of the 2016 squad. "We're going to be a very close team, I think the key for us is that everyone is going to work hard and everyone will have each others' back on the field. We all play for the 'I' on our chest and I think we have a great senior class to lead this big freshman class. I think this team can achieve a lot this year."