CHAMPAIGN – Fighting Illini Soccer closed the 2019 regular season slate on Sunday, earning a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Illini senior Kelly Maday netted two goals in the matchup, bringing her season total to six goals scored this year. Redshirt freshman Kendra Pasquale and senior Arianna Veland also scored goals in the contest, lifting Illinois over Minnesota. The Orange and Blue improve to 9-8-1 on the year and 3-7-1 in Big Ten play.
"I'm excited for the seniors, that we went out on a good note, I think they wanted to show the type of team that they've helped build and today was a great example of that," head coach Janet Rayfield said. "At halftime we discussed that the team we have grown into, a team that fights together, needed to show up for the second half. Sometimes fighting for each other is more important than fighting for a trophy, and I think that's what they did in the second half, and the results speak to that."
Although Minnesota fired the first shot of the game, Maday put the Orange and Blue on the board early with a goal in the 16th minute of the match. Sophomore Makena Silber sent a through pass up the field to Maday, who beat a pair of Gopher defenders and sent the pass into the back of the net.
Holding a one-goal advantage in the match, the Illini played tough defense to keep the Gophers at bay. Minnesota fired a shot in response to the Illini goal, and continued to pressure the home team. Illinois responded with an attack of its own, however, as Pasquale put a shot on goal in the 21st minute, and Maday followed up with another shot of her own in the 25th minute.
The two teams battled throughout the midfield throughout the first half, with Minnesota netting the equalizer in the 38th minute. The Illini fired five first-half shots in the match, putting two of those on frame. The Gophers also put two of their first-half shots on goal in the match. Senior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham grabbed one save in the first half of the match.
Illinois was tough out of the break as freshman Eileen Murphy and junior Hope Breslin combined for consecutive shots on goal in the first two minutes of the second half. A Gopher foul in the box, however gave the Orange and Blue a scoring opportunity in the 48th minute. Pasquale took the penalty kick, sending it into the lower left side of the net for the 2-1 Illini advantage. Not long after, Maday broke through the Gopher defense and carried the ball up the field for UI's third goal of the match.
The Illini defense continued to stay strong throughout the second half, holding Minnesota without a shot until the 85th minute of play. In that span, Veland secured Illinois' victory with a goal in the 83rd minute. She used a header to convert a free kick from Breslin, sending it past the Gopher keeper for a 4-1 Illini victory.
Illinois outshot Minnesota, 9-3, in the second half of the match, finishing with 14 total shots for the day, 10 of those on goal. Maday and Silber led Illinois with three shots each, while Breslin and Pasquale tallied two apiece. Eight different Illini fired at least one shot for the team on Sunday. Silber's three shots bring her season tally to 61, with 29 shots on goal. Cunningham finished with two saves on the day, bringing her career total to 242. That number ranks third all-time among Illini goalkeepers.
As a team, the Illini close the 2019 season with a 9-8-1 record and a 3-7-1 mark in Big Ten play.
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