ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A humid, sunny evening in U-M Soccer Stadium witnessed a hard-fought battle between the visiting Illini and the No. 21-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Illinois led for nearly 80 minutes, and received a stellar effort in net from freshman Naomi Jackson, but were unable to hold off Michigan's golden goal in the second overtime period to fall, 2-1.
Illinois (4-4-0) was led by senior Makena Silber (one goal, two shots-on-goal), redshirt junior Kendra Pasquale (two shots-on-goal) and the gritty performance from Jackson who faced 35 shots and posted 13 saves. Michigan (7-1-1) were aided by goals from Meredith Haakenson and the golden goal from Sammi Woods in the 106th minute.
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
Illinois grabbed the lead just under two minutes into the match. A Michigan foul on Kendra Pasquale as she drove through the box led to a penalty kick for the Illini.  Pasquale's initial shot attempt was saved by the Michigan keeper, but after the save, Makena Silber was in position to grab the rebound ,fire a second shot that the GK deflected into the post before finally pushing the ball through the frenzy into the goal for an early Illini lead.
Following the goal, Illinois put pressure on the Michigan defense with several more chances in transition. Freshman Maeve Jones and Silber both attempted shots that were turned away by Michigan. Illinois held strong defensively, holding the Wolverines to just one shot attempt in the first 15 minutes of the match.
Michigan settled in on their attacking side in the final 30 minutes of the first period, holding possession and creating multiple opportunities to tie the game. Jackson and the Illini defense were there each time to snuff out the Wolverine attack, with Jackson saving three shots and the backline forcing two shots wide, allowing Illinois to head into the intermission with the 1-0 lead.
Michigan started the second half with an offensive onslaught that included seven shot attempts in the first 15 minutes. Once again, the Illini defense held strong, with Jackson again coming up big for a trio of saves.
The Illini's first scoring chance of the second half came in the 58th minute when Pasquale grabbed the ball off of a goal kick and strode past multiple Michigan defenders for a clear shot that sailed above the net.
Michigan found the equalizer in the 81st minute after a Jackson save was deflected away to a Michigan defender who headed the ball in to tie the match, 1-1.
An intense end to regulation came when Michigan racked up six shots and five corner kicks in the final 10 minutes. Jackson was clutch for Illinois during that stretch, preventing Michigan from the game-winner and forcing the match to overtime.
The first overtime period saw Illinois and Michigan receive three chances each. Pasquale began the chances for Illinois, juking a Wolverine defender and firing a shot that went just above the crossbar. A save by Jackson followed the Illinois corner kick, and Pasquale responded with another shot that was saved by the leaping Michigan keeper. Michigan earned a corner kick with 30 seconds to go in the first overtime period, and after a Jackson save and a Michigan foul in the box, both teams came up empty and the match headed to a second overtime period.
Michigan began the second overtime period with two rapid shot attempts that were pushed away by the Illinois defense. As the Illini attempted to enter the Michigan penalty area a long clear found Haakenson out wide to start the Michigan counter attack.  The Wolverines got end line and found Sammi Woods in the box who was able to beat an Illini defender and drive a ball past Jackson for the golden goal and the Michigan victory.
QUOTING COACH RAYFIELDÂ
"I was really proud of our fight and grit tonight. We came out and set the tone the way we wanted to on the road against a ranked team in the Big Ten. Naomi Jackson's performance showed her athleticism and ability to make saves but also demonstrated a maturity beyond her experience. Those are the positive things that we will build on. We need to be better in the 50/50 battle, sustain possession for longer stretches, and step our defense higher so that we can get better pressure in the midfield. However, if we play with this tenacity and resolve every game we will find ourselves where we want to be in the end. "Â Â
ILLINOIS NOTES
- Freshman Naomi Jackson made a career-high 13 saves on the evening on 35 shots faced.
- Illinois faced 35 shots from No. 21 Michigan Friday evening. This is the second most by an opponent in Illinois history.
- Senior Makena Silber scored her 19th goal of the season. This moves her into 10th place on Illinois' career goals scored list.
- Illinois dropped their first game on the road this season after starting the season 4-0 away from Demirjian Park.
- Redshirt junior Kendra Pasquale fired a season-high five shots and two shots-on-goal, and played a career-most 106 minutes.
- Junior Eileen Murphy, redshirt junior Ashley Cathro, and freshmen Angie Galo played the full 106 minutes.
UP NEXT
Illinois returns to Demirjian Park next Thursday, Sept. 23 to host Purdue for IlliNOISE Night at 7 PM CT. The Illini then travel to Indiana next Sunday, Sept. 26 for a 12 PM CT kickoff to continue conference play.
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