CHAMPAIGN – Three Illini scored goals on Thursday evening at Illinois Soccer and Track Stadium, to carry the Fighting Illini Soccer squad over the Purdue Boilermakers, 3-1. Illinois tallied two goals in the first half to secure an early advantage, and sophomore Maggie Hillman netted her first-career goal in the second half to put the finishing touches on Illinois' victory. With Thursday's win, the Orange and Blue improve to 9-6-0 on the season and 4-4-0 in Big Ten play. UI will host Indiana on Sunday in a 1 p.m. match.
"It wasn't the prettiest game, but I think our team kept fighting," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "We talk about doing whatever it takes in the box to keep the ball from going in our net, and about doing whatever it takes down at that end to get it in their net. I think we did that tonight."
The Illini and the Boilermakers battled throughout the midfield to start Thursday's match, with neither team allowing a shot for the first 15 minutes of play. The Illini struck first, however, as the offense waged a fiery attack on the Purdue goal in the 16th minute of the game. Freshman Makena Silber fired the first shot of the day, but it was blocked by the Purdue goalkeeper, and sent to senior Katie Murray who capitalized on the rebound with another shot on goal for UI. Hillman added another shot for the Orange and Blue that was also blocked, but Silber collected the loose ball and fired it into the back of the net to give Illinois the go-ahead goal. The score is the fourth for Silber this season.
Purdue quickly responded to Illinois' score, putting a shot on goal just two minutes later, but junior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham kept the Boilermakers away with her first save of the night. She closed play with six saves overall, and has racked up 48 saves so far this season.
Murray scored Illinois' second goal of the match in the 23rd minute of play as she took advantage of a header from junior Arianna Veland and sent it past the Purdue goalkeeper. The score marks the sixth of the season for Murray and the 11th of her career.
Both teams continued to fight until the halftime break, with Illinois adding three more shots to its tally. The Illini outshot Purdue 8-6 in the first half, with Cunningham grabbing four of her saves before the second period.
Purdue picked up the pace out of the halftime break, battling Illinois for possession of the ball. The Orange and Blue fired the first shot of the period, but Purdue worked to close the gap and scored a goal in the 55th minute.
Both teams traded shots throughout the rest of the period. The Illini defense held strong through several Boilermaker corner kicks to continue to hold on to the lead.
Hillman put the final touches on Illinois' victory in the 83rd minute of the match as she collected a pass from junior Kelly Maday and sent it over the Purdue goalkeeper and into the back corner of the net. The assist marks the second for Maday this season.
Purdue responded with a late flurry of shots on Illinois' third of the field, but the UI defensive line did not budge. Illinois outshot Purdue 16-15 in the match, and both teams put seven shots on goal. Illinois spread out the action on Thursday as 11 different players fired at least one shot, with five putting their shots on frame.
"I like the direction we're going," Rayfield said of her program after the match. "I think this team has the energy, they've got the fight and the belief in themselves, and the 'whatever it takes attitude' is really what's turned the corner for this program."
NEXT UP
The Illini will close the regular season home slate on Sunday, hosting Indiana at 1 p.m. Sunday's match will mark Fan Appreciation Day.
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