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University of Illinois Athletics

jackson save 2.0
2
Winner Purdue PUR (7-1-2, 2-0-0)
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Illinois ILL (4-5-0, 0-2-0)
Winner
Purdue PUR
(7-1-2, 2-0-0)
2
Final
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Illinois ILL
(4-5-0, 0-2-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Purdue PUR 0 2 2
Illinois ILL 0 1 1

Game Recap: Soccer |

Illini Drop B1G Home Opener to Purdue

Recap

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A chilly fall evening at Demirjian Park saw the Fighting Illini soccer team fight back on the pitch, but ultimately come up short in a 2-1 decision to Purdue (7-1-2, 2-0-0 B1G) on Thursday night.

Illinois (4-5-0, 0-2-0 B1G) was aided by Hope Breslin's 82nd minute goal along with five shots (four on goal), redshirt junior Kendra Pasquale's seven shots (two on goal) and freshman goalkeeper Naomi Jackson's eight saves in her Demirjian Park debut.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Purdue came out firing in the first 20 minutes of the match, putting five shots towards the goal that were cleared away by the Illini backline. Illinois responded in the next 10 minutes, with Kendra Pasquale firing four shots and Joanna Verzosa-Dolezal, Sydney Stephens, and Maeve Jones each adding a chance of their own but failing to put the Illini on top.

After a beautiful save by a diving Jackson came with less than 10 to go in the first half, the Illini had one more chance to send the Illini into the intermission with the lead, but Breslin's left-footed shot was saved by the Purdue keeper, and the two teams headed into the locker rooms in a 0-0 deadlock.

Purdue started the second period with a flurry of shots on net that were saved by Jackson. Illinois had a chance of their own to begin the second half, with Breslin's feed to Pasquale being saved by a bounding Purdue keeper.

Purdue broke the tie in the 54th minute on a Sarah Griffith goal after she grabbed her own rebound from a Jackson save, and curled the ball in to put Purdue ahead. Two minutes later, Illinois suffered an own goal that put the Boilermakers up 2-0 just ten minutes into the second half.

Illinois came back with a great chance of their own in 65th minute. Eileen Murphy stole the ball from a Purdue defender at midfield and lofted it down the field to a sprinting Breslin, who beat the charging keeper and found the back of the net, but the play was called offside negating the goal for the Illini.

The Orange and Blue continued a strong offensive push in their attacking third and found another great chance from Murphy that the Purdue keeper snagged for a save. The Illini prevented a shutout in the 81st minute after Breslin was fouled by the Purdue defender. Her penalty kick attempt was saved by Purdue, but she was able to grab the rebound and find the back of the net to pull the Illini within striking distance.

A continued offensive effort followed the Breslin goal, as Sydney Stephens, Zoey Kollhoff, and Ashley Cathro all found chances for the equalizer in the final 10 minutes of the match. However, the Purdue defense held strong and allowed the Boilermakers to leave Champaign with the win.

QUOTING COACH RAYFIELD

"Tonight was another frustrating outcome but it is not and it cannot be a discouraging one. We talked about the process of sculpting ourselves into the team we are capable of being. We aren't quite there yet. There were moments and stretches tonight where we saw that team. However, those critical moments where discipline, a little extra effort or a little more composure make the difference need to be better for us to go from competing in the Big Ten to winning games in the Big Ten."

ILLINOIS NOTES

  • Illinois drops to 4-5-0 (0-2-0 B1G) on the season.
  • Redshirt senior Hope Breslin tied her career-high in goals (six), a record set as a junior in 2019.
  • Redshirt senior Hope Breslin's goal vs. Purdue was the 17th of her career, which moves her to 13th all-time in career goals scored.
  • Redshirt junior Kendra Pasquale tied the team's season-high in shots with seven, which was also her personal season-high.
  • Redshirt senior Hope Breslin played the full 90 minutes for the second time this season.
  • Freshman Angie Galo played the full 90 minutes for the third time this season.
  • Freshman Maeve Jones played a career-high 80 minutes vs. Purdue.
  • Redshirt junior Ashley Cathro has played every minute of the past six Illini matches.

UP NEXT

The Illini hit the road again this weekend, traveling to Bloomington, Ind., to take on the Indiana Hoosiers. The match, set for a 12 p.m. CT kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 26, will be streamed on B1G+, and additional updates can be found by connecting with @Illinisoccer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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.

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