Illini Fall at Northwestern on Last Minute Goal

EVANSTON, Ill. – On the shores of Lake Michigan, the Fighting Illini Soccer team fought hard and tough for 89 minutes, but a last-minute goal gave Northwestern a 1-0-win Thursday evening in Martin Stadium. 

The Illini (4-7-0, 0-4-0 B1G) were led by redshirt junior Kendra Pasquale and senior Makena Silber, who both fired three shots (two on-goal) during the match, with freshman Maeve Jones and redshirt junior Ashley Cathro also adding one shot on-goal, each. Northwestern (6-4-1, 2-1-1 B1G) was aided by an 89th-minute goal by Regan Steigleder.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The in-state rivalry matchup started evenly with both teams trading possession in the early minutes of the match. Illinois' first chance came from Pasquale, who fired a shot at the top of the box directly at the Northwestern keeper for a save. 

After clearing two Northwestern corner kicks in the tenth minute, Pasquale was again presented with a chance bounding down the right side of the Illini attacking third. Pasquale fired a ball that just clipped the crossbar and was cleared away by the Wildcats. 

Northwestern managed their first shot-attempt 28 minutes into the match and quickly fired off three shots with 15 minutes to go in the first half. Freshman goalkeeper Naomi Jackson was up to the challenge, saving two of the Wildcat's chances, while the Illini defense forced the third shot wide left.

Jackson added two more saves before another Illini chance in the 40^th minute by Silber. The senior received a quick pass from Jones and fired a shot at the Northwestern keeper who scooped the ball for the save. The Illini defense stood tall to finish the first half, and the match remained scoreless heading into halftime.

The Illini defense put in work to begin the second half, defending four Wildcat corner kicks in the first 20 minutes of the period. The Illini managed to block two shot attempts by Northwestern and forced another chance wide left to keep the rivals scoreless.

Jones provided the Illini with their first chance of the second half in the 68^th minute after receiving a long pass from Aleah Treiterer on the right side of the field. Despite being heavily defended by two Wildcat players in the center of the box, Jones managed to get a header on the ball that was grabbed by the Northwestern keeper.

The Orange and Blue earned their only corner kick of the match in the 73^rd minute which gave the Illini some offensive momentum with less than 20 minutes to go in regulation. Silber sent a shot just wide right of the goal in the 76^th minute, and Pasquale followed that up with a shot attempt of her own that again sailed out right of the goal in the 78^th minute. 

After the Wildcats missed two chances with less than 10 minutes to go in the match, Northwestern earned a corner kick with just more than a minute to play in regulation. After a short time stoppage due to injury, the Wildcats served up the corner kick to the near-side post where Steigleder was able to poke it to the back of the net. The 89^th minute goal proved to be the game-winner, and Illinois left Evanston with a gut-wrenching loss. 

ILLINOIS NOTES

• The Illini drop to 4-7-0 overall, including an 0-4-0 mark in conference play.
• Illinois' road record dropped to 4-3-0 this season. 
• Redshirt junior Ashley Cathro played the full 90 minutes, marking her eighth match in a row playing the full game.
• Junior Eileen Murphy played the full 90 minutes, marking her fifth match in a row playing the full game.
• Redshirt senior Maggie Hillman returned from injury in her first B1G action this season, contributing 37 minutes at Northwestern.

UP NEXT

The Illini are back at Demirjian Park this Sunday, Oct. 3 to take on Maryland. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed live on B1G+. Sunday's match will serve as a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, with special concessions items like churros and chips and salsa available, in addition to a visit from La Casa Cultural, and a Spanish-speaking public address announcer who will be announcing throughout the match.