CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer battled against No. 18 Texas A&M but dropped a 1-0 decision to the Aggies on Thursday (Sept. 1) night at Demirjian Park.
The Illini controlled the tempo of the game for stretches in both halves, but were ultimately unable to find a breakthrough against a stingy Aggie defense.
The Orange and Blue move to 3-2-0 on the season. Â
Texas A&M (4-0-1) broke the deadlock in the 13th minute, when MaKhiya McDonald pounced on a rebound following a save from goalkeeper Julia Cili to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
Cili, coming off a career-high 13 save performance against Notre Dame on Sunday (Aug. 28), made four saves in the opening half to keep the Illini within striking distance.
The Illini began the second half quickly, with Joanna Verzosa-Dolezal pushing an effort from distance just wide of the post, the team's first shot of the contest. Illinois then earned a corner kick in the 54th minute, but were not able to create a chance from it.
Illinois ramped up the speed of the game throughout the half and controlled play through the midfield, as Texas A&M did not put a shot on target in the closing 45. Junior Julia Eichenbaum came the closest to scoring for the Illini, rifling a right-footed shot off the volley from outside of the box, but her effort was hit straight at Aggie goalkeeper Kenna Caldwell.
"We just started to battle," said head coach Janet Rayfield. "The physicality of the first half, we didn't match that. In the second half, we got to the ball first…the number of opportunities we created with restarts in our end was us battling and getting to balls and making sure that we were physically engaging. That was the difference in the second half."
The Illini continued to press for an equalizer operating down the flanks, but could not find a decisive pass in the final third.
Next Up
The Illini continue this five-match homestand on Sunday, Sept. 4, with a 7 p.m. CT match against Indiana State at Demirjian Park.
