CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer continues its five-match homestand at Demirjian Park with matches against Missouri on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m. CT and against in-state opponent Loyola on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 1 p.m. CT.

The 2022 season marks the 26th season of Illinois soccer, with the Illini holding an overall record of 274-204-39 (.568), and the 21st season under the leadership of head coach Janet Rayfield.

Last Time Out

Illinois split the first two matches of this season-long five-match homestand. The Illini fought hard against No. 18 Texas A&M on Sept. 1, but fell in a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Aggies. The Orange and Blue got back in the win column on Sunday night vs. Indiana State, coming away with a 3-2 victory thanks to goals from Sarah Foley and Kendra Pasquale in a rain soaked contest that featured a mid-game weather delay of 1:15.

Scouting Missouri

The Illini trail in the all-time series with the Tigers, 4-6-2. The two programs are facing off for the first time since Aug. 19, 2021, where Illinois came away with a dominant 4-0 victory in Columbia. Missouri went 1-1-0 in their previous matchweek, which included a 3-1 defeat to No. 1 North Carolina and a 2-1 win against rival Kansas. The Tigers played to a 1-1 draw at Omaha in their only road match of the season on Aug. 28.

Missouri was picked to finish 13th in the SEC, with M Hannah Boughton, M Milena Fischer, GK Bella Hollenback and D Grace Pettet named players to watch.

Scouting Loyola

The Illini will face against the Ramblers for the just the fifth time in school history and the first time since Aug. 22, 2019, where the Orange and Blue came away with a 3-1 victory. Illinois has outscored Loyola 11-1 in the previous four matches. The Ramblers went 1-1-0 in their previous matchweek, dropping a 2-0 decision to No. 19 Xavier in Chicago before claiming a 4-1 victory over Western Illinois on the road.

Loyola was picked to finish third in the Atlantic 10 by the conference coaches with D Alaina Abel, F Megan Nemec and M Abby Swanson all named A-10 Preseason All-Conference.

Illini Notes

• Junior goalkeeper Julia Cili ranks third among Big Ten keepers with a total of 28 saves this season.
• The victory over No. 17 Butler on Aug. 25 was Illinois' first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 22 Pepperdine on Aug. 30, 2019. The Illini handed the Bulldogs just their fourth loss at Bud and Jackie Sellick Bowl since 2017.
• For the fourth-straight season, the Illinois soccer team opened the year with a victory as the Illini posted a 1-0 win over Illinois State in the season opener last Thursday at Demirjian Park.
• Freshman Sarah Foley had an impressive debut for Illinois as she scored her first collegiate goal just 30 seconds after subbing into Illinois' 4-1 win over Toledo on Aug. 21. She also added an assist later in the match for a total of three points on the day. She tallied six shots, with three on goal in her first collegiate match.
• The Illini are entering their 26th season of competition, and the 21st under head coach Janet Rayfield.
• Illinois is coming off a 5-11-1 season, including a 1-8-1 mark in Big Ten action.
• The Illini are returning 24 letterwinners from last season, while welcoming in nine newcomers to the roster.
• Pasquale is the leading point getter returning from the 2021 squad with 10 points on four goals and two assists. The redshirt-senior owns 11 goals and five assists in her Illini career.
• Also returning is sophomore Sydney Stephens, who led the Illini with five assists on the season.
• The Illini return 10 players with 10+ starts last season (Makena Silber, Kendra Pasquale, Aleah Treiterer, Ashley Cathro, Eileen Murphy, Sydney Stephens, Joanna Verzosa-Dolezal, Maeve Jones, Angie Galo, Mackenzie Schuler).
• Freshman Lia Howard was named the 2021-22 Gatorade New York Girls Soccer Player of the Year.
• The Big Ten announced its Women's Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List on August 15 with redshirt-seniors Ashley Cathro and Kendra Pasquale and senior Eileen Murphy representing the Illini.
• Cathro played in all 17 matches and started in 16 for the Illini a season ago, while also leading the team in minutes played (1,502) during the 2021 season.

Next Up

The Illini close out this five-match homestand at Demirjian Park with their Big Ten opener on Sunday, Sept. 18, against Michigan State at 1 p.m. CT.