CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Following a two-match stretch at Demirjian Park, the Fighting Illini soccer team hits the road this weekend for two important conference matches. The Illini travel to Minneapolis, Minn. On Thursday, Oct. 14 to take on Minnesota, a nationally-televised match on the Big Ten Network set for an 8 p.m. CT kickoff. Illinois then travels to the Hawkeye state to take on Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 17 for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff on B1G+. Additional updates from the matches can be found by connecting with @IlliniSoccer on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois heads into the road trip after a thrilling match on homecoming weekend against the Wisconsin Badgers ended in a 1-1 (2OT) draw. Illinois (5-7-1, 1-4-1 B1G) was led by redshirt junior Kendra Pasquale, who scored the lone goal in the sixth minute of the match, seenior Hope Breslin, who tallied nine shots (two on-goal), and sophomore goalkeeper Julia Cili recorded four saves in the match.

ILLINOIS…

• Is 5-7-1 overall on the season, including owning a 1-4-1 mark in conference play.
• Head into the matchup vs. Minnesota leading the all-time series 13-9-4, but trail 5-6-2 when facing the Gophers in Minneapolis.  
• Head into the matchup vs. Iowa leading the all-time series 15-10-1, but trail 4-6-1 when facing the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
• Illinois will play in front of a nationally-televised audience on the Big Ten Network for the second time this season, previously facing off against second-ranked North Carolina in the grand opening of Demirjian Park on Aug. 26, dropping a 1-5 decision to the Tar Heels.
• Has had goals scored from nine different players this season, the most in a season since 2018 when 12 different Illini found the back of the net.
• Ranks second in the B1G in saves per game (5.00).
• Ranks fourth in the B1G and 73^rd nationally in scoring offense (1.85).
• Ranks sixth in the B1G and 90^th nationally in shots-on-goal per game (6.77).
• Ranks fourth in the B1G and 74^th nationally in total goals (24).
• Julia Cili ranks second in the B1G in saves per game (4.43).
• Hope Breslin (3.15) and Kendra Pasquale (2.92) rank eighth and 11^th respectively in the B1G in shots per game.

KNOW THE HISTORY

Illinois and Minnesota have faced off 26 times, with Illinois holding a 13-9-4 overall series lead, however trails the Gophers 5-6-2 when playing at Minnesota. The two teams last matched up last season in Minneapolis, fighting to a 0-0 (2OT) draw which saw goalkeeper Sami Sample record nine saves on 23 shots faced to keep the score knotted at zero.

The Orange and Blue have faced off against the Hawkeyes 26 times in school history, with Illinois holding the 15-10-1 mark but trails 4-6-1 when facing Iowa at their home stadium. The two teams faced off twice last season, with the first meeting in the regular season going to the Illini by a score of 3-0 thanks to a Kendra Pasquale brace. Iowa had the best of the Illini in their second meeting in the Big Ten Regional Weekend postseason matchup, with the Hawkeyes scoring a golden goal in the first overtime period to defeat Illinois 1-2 and move on to the next round of the Big Ten tournament.

KNOW THE FOE

Minnesota comes into Thursday night's match with a 6-4-3 overall record, including a 2-4-0 mark in conference play. Most recently, the Gophers dropped a 2-3 decision to No. 25 Purdue last Sunday, Oct. 10, but handed Penn State their worst Big Ten loss since 2003 when Minnesota defeated the Nittany Lions 4-1 on Oct. 3. Sitting in a tie for ninth place in the B1G with less than two weeks to go, Minnesota will finish off their B1G schedule after the Illini with Northwestern, Iowa, and Nebraska, all opponents who the Illini have faced or will face in the final stretch of the season. The Gophers are led by leading goal-scorers Izzy Brown (six goals, 12 points), Sophia Boman (three goals, two assists), and goalkeeper Megan Plaschko who has only conceded nine goals this season while recording 44 saves.   

The reigning Big Ten tournament champions, the Hawkeyes this season sit at an overall record of 8-5-1 and a 2-4-0 mark in the B1G. Last week, Iowa dropped two matches to Michigan State (1-2) and No. 9 Rutgers (0-1), and before that defeated Maryland by a score of 2-0. Currently tied with Minnesota for ninth place in the B1G, their other conference win came in their conference opener against Northwestern, winning a 2-1 decision over the Wildcats. Alyssa Walker currently leads the team in goals and points (six goals, 12 points), with Kenzie Roling tallying four goals on the season for the Hawkeyes and goalkeeper Monica Wilhelm currently sitting fourth in the conference in saves with 52.  

UP NEXT

The Illini wrap up the regular season next weekend with two matches hosted at Demirjian Park. Illinois begins the weekend hosting the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday, Oct. 21 for a 7 p.m. CT kickoff on B1G+. Illinois wraps up the regular season against the current leader in the B1G conference, hosting Rutgers on Sunday, Oct. 24 for a 1 p.m. CT kick on B1G+.

FOLLOW THE #ILLINI

For the latest news, information, and media from Illini Soccer, be sure to follow @Illinisoccer on Twitter and Instagram, "like" Fighting Illini Soccer on Facebook, and tune in to fightingillini.com.