CHAMPAIGN – The Fighting Illini soccer team opened Big Ten play on Friday, earning a 3-1 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats. Goals from seniors Kelly Maday, Arianna Veland and junior Hope Breslin secured Illinois' first conference victory of the year and the 200th victory at Illinois for head coach Janet Rayfield. Illinois improves to 7-1-0 on the season and 1-0-0 in Big Ten play. Next up, the Orange and Blue will travel to Iowa City, Iowa for a Thursday matchup against the Hawkeyes.
"I think we played our best soccer tonight, and that's what we've been talking about, continuing to be better versions of ourselves" head coach Janet Rayfield said. "I'm really proud of the way that we played tonight and I'm fortunate that the exclamation of 200 wins happened alongside that."
"This is my home, to be here and to celebrate this milestone is really more about all the people who contributed to each one of those 200 wins," Rayfield said of the milestone victory. "You think about each one of them; the work that players put in, the buy-in that they had for myself, our staff and our program, and the commitment they had to this university. That's what you remember. You take each one of those victories and you think about the group of people that really put the work in behind each one. Those are the things you think about on a milestone night like tonight."
The Illini grabbed an early advantage in Friday's match, as Maday netted the first goal of Big Ten play in the 13th minute. Illini sophomore Katelynn Buescher sent a pass from the back line to sophomore Kendra Pasquale, who immediately passed ball up the field to Maday. Running past the Wildcat defender, Maday beat the Northwestern goalkeeper to the ball and fired it over her head and into the back of the net. The goal marks the second for Maday this season.
Northwestern worked to battle back after the Illini goal, but the UI defense pressured back to keep the Wildcats in the middle of the field. The two teams fought through the midfield throughout the half, with each firing four shots before the break. Senior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham picked up one save in the first half, keeping Northwestern scoreless.
The Illini pressured the Wildcats out of the break, working hard to attack the Northwestern goal. It paid off in the 48th minute, as Hope Breslin netted her fourth goal of the season to extend Illinois' lead. Maday sent a pass across the box to Breslin for the score, also earning her first assist of the night.
UI did not let up on the attack, as Maday added another shot for the Orange and Blue in the 51st minute. Northwestern was able to respond with two shots of their own, but Cunningham was there to pick up another save. The Illini attack continued as UI added another goal in the 60th minute. Making it 3-0 for the Orange and Blue, Maday carried the ball up the field and sent it to Veland at the top of the box to convert. Veland placed her shot just high out of the goalkeeper's reach to help Illinois secure its first Big Ten win of the year.
Illinois and Northwestern fought to the final buzzer, with the Wildcats converting a penalty kick in the 80th minute of play. Illinois stayed strong on defense, however, maintaining their advantage in the match. Northwestern outshot the Illini, 11-7, but Cunningham closed the match with four saves.
NEXT UP
Illinois will travel to Iowa City on Thursday, September 26, to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in an 8 p.m. match. The game is set to air live on the Big Ten Network. UI will stay on the road for another Big Ten matchup at Nebraska, taking on the Huskers at 1 p.m. Sunday, September 29.
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