Illinois...
...is continuing a four-game road stretch at Illinois State
...upset No. 22 Pepperdine in Malibu last weekend
...has nine goals scored by six different players this year
...returns junior GK Jaelyn Cunningham who ranks 7th all-time for her 193 saves
...sophomore Makena Silber leads the Illini with 12 shots in four games
...leads the all-time series with the Redbirds, 10-3-2
...has a 253-179-36 all-time soccer record
HEADED OUT ON THE ROAD
The Orange and Blue are continuing their four-game road stretch at Illinois State this weekend, heading down the road to Normal. The Illini and the Redbirds face off at 6 p.m. on Sunday at Aldelaide Street Field. The game will air on ESPN+. The Orange and Blue will remain on the road for one more match next week, facing the Butler Bulldogs on Thursday at 4 p.m. before returning home to host Colorado College on Sept. 15 at 1 p.m.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
The Redbirds are 1-3-0 on the season, coming off of a 3-4 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes. Illinois State opened the season with a 3-2 win over Omaha, and will play its first home match of the year on Friday against Northern Illinois. Recently named MVC Offensive Player of the Week, senior Kate Del Fava has netted five goals on seven shots so far this year. Mikayla Unger has also contributed to the Redbird scoring, with a goal in the team's win over Omaha.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois opened its road slate in California last weekend, defeating No. 22 Pepperdine to open the weekend. After a close battle on the pitch, both teams were tied at two heading into the game's final stretch. Illini junior Maggie Hillman fired the game-winning goal over the Pepperdine keeper to secure the win for the Orange and Blue. The road trip continued in Los Angeles, where Illinois dropped a neutral site contest to San Francisco.
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 upcoming opponents are 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 are set for a challenging nonconference slate, playing four of their seven matches on the road. Illinois is heading out of town for four consecutive matches, beginning with this weekend's pair of games in California, and Pepperdine and versus San Francisco. The team will return to the Midwest to take on both Illinois State and Butler closer to home.
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 253-179-36 with 12 NCAA Tournament appearances in 20 seasons. Head coach Janet Rayfield (195-136-33) 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.
