WESTFIELD, Indiana – Despite a hard-fought, gritty battle at Grand Park on Friday morning, the Fighting Illini Soccer squad dropped its Big Ten Tournament semifinal match to the Penn State Nittany Lions, 1-0. Illini senior Katie Murray led Illinois on the attack with four shots in the match, and junior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham tallied seven saves for the day. The Orange and Blue move to 11-8-1 on the season.
"I'm proud of the way our team fought today," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "That's the cruelty of this game, that one little moment can make a difference. I didn't think that we played as well as we're capable of playing, but we fought hard and that's the thing I'm most proud of."
The Orange and Blue struck early on Friday morning, firing the first four shots of the match. The Illini defense held Penn State without a shot until the 18th minute of the play, and Cunningham grabbed her first save of the day to deny the Nittany Lions. The Orange and Blue continued to fight throughout the opening period, with both teams trading shots before the halftime break.
Illinois fired five shots before the break, led by Murray who racked up two shots and put one on frame. Cunningham grabbed three first-half saves, as Penn State put four of their 10 shots on goal.
Penn State picked up the pace early on in the second half, firing four-straight shots at the Illini net. Cunningham denied two for the Illini, and the defensive line came in clutch to block two more. UI responded to the Penn State attack with three more shots of their own, including a back-to-back attack rom Murray and freshman Peyton Willie.
The Nittany Lions picked up an advantage in the match in the 67th minute, after an Illinois own goal slipped into the back of the net.
Trailing 1-0, junior Arianna Veland added another shot for Illinois in the 72nd minute of the match. The two teams continued to battle throughout the midfield, but Illinois could not overcome Penn State.
UI put four of its 10 total shots on goal in Friday's match, led by Murray who recorded four shots for Illinois. Junior Kelly Maday added two shots for UI as well. Cunningham closed the match with seven saves, bringing her season total to 71.
NEXT UP
Illinois will return to Champaign to await the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field. The selection show will air on NCAA.com at 3:30 p.m. CT Monday, November 5.
FOLLOW THE ILLINI
Fans can keep up with the Fighting Illini Soccer squad on social media for an even more inside look at the program. Follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
