Illinois...

...is closing a four-game road stretch at Butler Thursday

...will play its inaugural match at Demirjian Park on Sunday

...is giving away free construction hats to the first 200 fans at Demirjian Park

...has 12 goals scored by six different players this year

...ranks fourth in the B1G for its 2.4 goals per game

...returns junior GK Jaelyn Cunningham who ranks 6th all-time for her    196 saves

...sophomore Makena Silber leads the Illini with 19 shots in five games

...has a 254-179-36 all-time soccer record

COMING UP

Fighting Illini soccer will close out a four-game road stretch at Butler on Thursday, taking on the Bulldogs in a 4 p.m. CT match. The game will be streamed by the Bulldogs via Facebook Live. The Orange and Blue will return to Champaign on Sunday, hosting Colorado College at 1 p.m. The match will mark the first contest inside Demirjian Park. The Illini will hold Construction Zone Day, the first 200 fans in attendance will receive a free construction hat. It will also mark a Family Sunday, featuring concession stand discounts and entertainment for all ages. Any Illini Soccer summer campers in attendance at Sunday's game will also receive a special giveaway.

BREAKING DOWN BUTLER

The Butler Bulldogs are 4-2 on the season, hosting Illinois after a 2-3 loss to Milwaukee. Butler opened its season with three-straight wins, over Morehead State, IUPUI and Northern Kentucky. The Illini will mark the third Big Ten opponent for the Bulldogs as Butler dropped an overtime match to Wisconsin (1-2) and earned a 3-0 victory over Michigan State. Butler has netted 15 goals this year, scored by eight different Bulldogs. Sophomore Anja Savich leads Butler with four goals on the year, while sophomore Katie Soderstrom has three.  

CHECKING OUT COLORADO COLLEGE

Colorado College boasts a 4-0 record so far this season, coming off of a 3-1 win over Western Michigan on Sunday.  The Tigers also earned victories over Texas A&M - Corpus Christi, Siena College and Saint Francis. Colorado College is averaging three goals per game this season, led by Jacqui Hand who has netted four of the team's scores. Jenna Wilt leads the Tigers with six assists on the year, and Kiley Suter has dished five. As a team, the Tigers have put 39 of their 79 shot attempts on frame this year. 

LAST TIME OUT

Fighting Illini soccer topped the Illinois State Redbirds, 3-2, on Sunday evening. The Orange and Blue got off to a fast start in the contest as sophomore Makena Silber netted the first goal of the game in the second minute of play. Junior Hope Breslin and senior Arianna Veland converted penalty kicks in the match, helping the Illini to their fourth victory of the year. 

SPREADING THE WEALTH

As a team, Illinois has scored 12 goals this season, averaging 2.4 per game, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.  Junior Hope Breslin and senior Arianna Veland lead the Illini with three goals each so far this year, and six different players have contributed to the team's scoring. A total of 10 different Illini have contributed to Illinois' attack this season, firing at least one shot on the year. Sophomore Makena Silber leads the way with 19 shots and nine on frame. Silber ranks third in the league for her 3.8 shots per game, while Breslin checks in at No. 4 for her 1.6 points per game as well. 

MAKING THE MOVE TO DEMIRJIAN PARK

Fighting Illini soccer will make its inaugural appearance at Demirjian Park on Sunday, September 15, taking on Colorado College in a 1 p.m. match. Currently in the process of construction, Demirjian Park is located at 606 St. Mary's Road. Fans attending Sunday's game and future Illini soccer games should plan to park in one of three available lots: the Ubben Basketball Complex off of  St. Mary's Road, the grass lot west of Illinois Field off Kirby Avenue or the grass lot north of Atkins Tennis Center, entering off Florida Avenue. ADA parking is available in the paved lot at the Atkins Tennis Center, accessible from Goodwin Avenue. Fans should enter Demirjian Park via the northwest corner of the field, which can be accessed via sidewalks leading from each designated parking area. There will be no entrance to Demirjian Park off of St. Mary's Road. Bleacher seating for Illinois Soccer matches will be located at the north end of the field.

BIG TEN WEEKLY HONORS

Fighting Illini freshman Eileen Murphy was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on August 27, as announced by the league office. The recognition came after the La Grange Park, Illinois, native netted the first goal of her career in a 3-2 victory over Dayton. The weekly conference honor marked the first for Murphy in her career and the first for an Illini this season.

CUNNINGHAM EARNS SUMMER RECOGNITION

Illini goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham was recognized for her work over the summer as she earned two Women's Premier Soccer League honors for the 2019 season. The senior played for the Chicago Red Stars Reserves, and was named the Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year and won the East Region's Golden Glove Award. Cunningham played in all 10 games for the Red Stars and grabbed 15 saves on the season. 

COMPETITIVE SLATE

The Orange and Blue are set take on six 2018 NCAA Tournament teams in 2019, welcoming four of those opponents to Champaign during the season.  Several of UI's 2019 opponents were ranked or receiving votes among the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 including No. 6 Penn State, No. 16 Wisconsin, RV Butler, RV Ohio State, RV Minnesota. The Illini will face three of those five opponents on the road this season, hosting Wisconsin and Minnesota to close the regular season slate. 

B1G PRESEASON HONORS

Three Illini were named to the Big Ten Conference Preseason Honors List on August 19, as announced by the Big Ten Conference. Seniors Alicia Barker, Jaelyn Cunningham and Arianna Veland were listed on the conference's honor list. The Preseason Honors List is decided upon by the league's coaches and is composed of 42 student-athletes. The league also announced the 2019 Preseason Women's Soccer Poll, where the Illini checked in at No. 8 on the list. Coming in at No. 1 was Penn State, who will host the Illini on Oct. 17.

RETURNING SCORING

The Orange and Blue have returned three of its four leading scorers from 2018 in Makena Silber, Hope Breslin and Kelly Maday this season. The three combined for 14 goals and 34 points last season, good for 41-percent of the team's goal scoring. In all, the Illini return 62-percent of its offense from last season, and 59-percent of its goal-scoring.

ROAD TRIP

The Illini have taken on a challenging nonconference slate, playing four of their seven matches on the road. Illinois headed of town for four consecutive matches, beginning in California, taking on and Pepperdine and San Francisco. The team returned to the Midwest to take on Illinois State and will close the road state at Butler on Thursday. 

HONORING OUR ALUMNI

Fighting Illini Soccer announced the development of the Laura Redmond Ramirez Legacy and Inspiration Award in the 2016 season, prior to the team's 3-0 shutout of No. 19 Michigan. The award is given annually to an Illini player who exhibits the traits that former Illini Laura Redmond developed and demonstrated during her time at Illinois: courage, resiliency and fortitude, and the traits that she exhibited during her battle with Leukemia. Recipients of the Laura Redmond Ramirez Legacy and Inspiration award include Jenna Carosio (2016), Dr. Rachel Frank (2017) and Kristyn Hidden Miller (2018). 

Also created in Redmond Ramirez' honor, the fund is dedicated to providing assistance with scholarship, educational, and student-athlete welfare costs for members of the University of Illinois soccer team. Each year, the Illini soccer program will designate a current soccer student-athlete as the Laura Redmond Ramirez Memorial Scholarship Fund recipient. The selected student-athlete will be one who best represents the legacy left by Laura Redmond Ramirez, one of courage, discipline and dedication, combined with an incredible sense of caring for those around her. Recipients of the scholarship include Katie Murray (2017) and Kelly Maday (2018).

ILLINI ROSTER FEATURES SEVEN NEWCOMERS

The Fighting Illini soccer program and head coach Janet Rayfield will welcome six freshmen to the roster for the 2019 season as announced on Wednesday. The 2019 signing class includes Sydney Carste (Sammamish, Washington), Summer Garrison (Pasadena, California), Lilian Lucas (Plymouth, Michigan), Eileen Murphy (La Grange Park, Illinois), Ashley Prell (Fox River Grove, Illinois) and Aleah Treiterer (Sacramento, California). Illinois also welcomes Henar Urteaga, a transfer from Eastern Illinois.

"With a blend of West Coast style and Midwest grit, our 2019 class will contribute to the ability of our team to compete with teams of different styles across the country," Rayfield said. "The class of 2019 has ball-winners, speed, play-makers, great students and competitive young women. We are excited to welcome in this talented class."

DEMIRJIAN PARK

University of Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced plans on Dec. 6, 2017 for the construction of new soccer and track and field facilities on the UI campus. The new complex will be named Demirjian Park, in honor of a lead gift from the Demirjian family of Decatur, Ill. The project will be executed in phases with full completion scheduled for the spring of 2021. Demirjian Park will feature two new soccer fields, one for competition and one for practice, located directly east of the existing track and field complex, which will itself be renovated. The project's centerpiece will be Demirjian Park Stadium, located between the new soccer fields and the renovated track. The stadium will directly benefit more than 25-percent of the Fighting Illini student-athlete population by housing team facilities for women's soccer, men's track and field, and women's track and field. State-of-the-art amenities will include locker rooms, video and meeting rooms, lounge and study spaces, sports medicine and nutrition facilities, and coaches' offices. It will also contain spaces for visiting teams and officials. Construction of the new soccer fields will be completed during the 2019 season. Demirjian Park will be fully complete and open for the 2020 soccer season, which will allow Illinois to host the 2021 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Renovations to the track and accompanying field event venues will be performed as a separate project.

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 254-179-36 with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 20 seasons. Head coach Janet Rayfield (196-136-33) is responsible for 76-percent of those wins and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances in her 18 seasons at the helm.

UI NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

Illinois has played in the NCAA Tournament 12 times in 20 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.