Ranked Opponents On Deck as Illini Soccer Closes Out Regular Season

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini soccer closes out the regular season with a pair of matches against ranked foes; first, a showdown at No. 14 Michigan State on Thursday before the regular season finale on Sunday vs. No. 25 Nebraska at Demirjian Park. Kickoffs are set for 6:00 p.m. CT and 12:00 p.m. CT, respectively.

The 2023 season marks the 27th season of Illinois soccer, with the Illini holding an overall record of 283-215-46 (.563), and the 22nd season under the leadership of head coach Janet Rayfield.

Admission is free to all home Illinois soccer matches, with spectator parking available in the Atkins Tennis Center parking lot and the grass lots just east of the soccer practice field.

Promotions

Sunday, Oct. 22 vs. #25 Nebraska | 12 p.m. CT

Women's Empowerment Match – Our female athletes are women that value their gifts, know their strengths and embrace their ability to impact the world in a positive way. We aim to inspire future female generations in and outside the world of athletics because the world is a better place when women are empowered.

100 Girls vs. Illini Soccer – One hundred girls take on Illini soccer in a scrimmage following the match. Sign up here. Open to all girls 8th grade and under.

Last Time Out

Illinois went 1-1-0 in the previous matchweek, falling 1-0 to No. 12 Wisconsin on Oct. 12 before earning a 2-1 victory over Purdue on Oct. 15. Both matches were played at Demirjian Park.

The Illini suffered their first loss to ranked opponent this season, in heartbreaking fashion, to the Badgers, with the visitors game-winner coming with eight seconds left in the match. Goalkeeper Julia Cili would make six saves in the contest.

Illinois broke a three-match winless run in the triumph over the Boilermakers, with Lia Howard opening the scoring in the third minute with a curling strike from distance and Makala Woods delivering the winner in the 53rd minute after a great passage of play.

Scouting Michigan State

The Illini lead in the all-time series against the Spartans, 21-4-3, falling 3-0 in the last meeting between the two programs on Sept. 18, 2022, in Champaign. The Orange and Blue came away with a 2-1 victory in their last visit to East Lansing on March 28, 2021, and are unbeaten in their last seven visits, dating back to 2002.

No. 14 Michigan State has posted a record of 10-3-3 overall and is 5-1-2 in the Big Ten. The Spartans moved up six spots in the United Soccer Coaches poll after a 1-1 draw at No. 25 Indiana and a 2-0 at Rutgers in the previous matchweek. Michigan State was tabbed to finish fourth in the Big Ten this season, with defender Raegan Cox and midfielders Justina Gaynor and Emerson Sargeant all being named to the Big Ten Women's Soccer Players to Watch List.

Scouting Nebraska

The Illini lead in the all-time series against the Cornhuskers 8-5-0, falling 3-1 in the last meeting between the two programs on Oct. 13, 2022, in Lincoln. In the last match at Demirjian Park between the two sides, Illinois fell in a 3-1 contest on Oct. 21, 2021.

Nebraska has posted a record of 11-2-3 overall and is 5-1-2 in the Big Ten. The Huskers went 2-0-0 in their last matchweek, earning a 3-0 win over Maryland and a 2-0 victory at Minnesota. Nebraska was tabbed to finish sixth in the Big Ten this season, with defender Gwen Lane and forwards Eleanor Dale and Sarah Weber all being named to the Big Ten Women's Soccer Players to Watch List.

Dale currently leads the country with 21 goals scored and midfielder Florence Belzile ranks tied for fourth with 11 assists to power a Huskers attack that ranks ninth in the country with 2.81 goals per game.

Illini Notes

• Lia Howard's goal in the fourth minute on Oct. 15 vs. Purdue was the third goal scored by the Illini this season in the opening 10 minutes of a match...Howard now has a team-leading 12 points on the season (4 G, 4 A) and currently has a conversion rate of 28.6 percent (4 G, 14 SH).
• After Makala Woods' opening goal on Sept. 24 vs. Michigan, she became the eighth different Illini to score this season...Illinois had 11 different goal scorers in the 2022 season.
• Sydney Stephens tallied the first brace of her career in the Illini's 3-2 victory over Pepperdine on Sept. 10...Stephens' first goal in the 33rd minute tied the match at 1-1 and her second in the 88th minute won the match...Stephens is tied for the team leads with four goals this season and is also second on the team in points with nine.
• Julia Cili made nine saves on Sept. 10 vs. Pepperdine, a new season-high mark, which she matched on Sept. 17 at Iowa...Cili has posted an 80.6 save percentage this season, which would be a career-best mark...she leads all Big Ten keepers with 75 saves and also leads Big Ten Keepers with 5.36 saves per game...Cili has made a total of 220 saves in her Illini career, which ranks tied for fourth-most all-time in program history with Alexandra Kapicka (2006-10)...she trails Jaelyn Cunningham (242) by 22 saves for third-most all-time.
• With the Illini's 2-1 win over Louisville on Aug. 31, it marked the first time since 2019 that Illinois has had a four-match unbeaten streak and it was the first time since 2015 that the Illini started a season four matches unbeaten.
• Following the Illini's 0-0 draw at Dayton on Aug. 27, Illinois has now started a season with at least a three-match unbeaten streak in back-to-back seasons...Illinois also did not allow a goal in two-straight games, which the team also accomplished last season during a three-match shutout streak from Aug. 18-25.
• The Illini's victory over No. 17 Xavier on Aug. 24 marked their first win over a ranked opponent this season...it's also the second-straight year that they have captured a win over a ranked opponent on the road...the Illini also became the first team to win at Corcoran Field since Saint Louis did so on Sept. 8, 2022, ending Xavier's nine-match unbeaten run at that facility.
• With the 3-2 victory over Loyola on Aug. 17 to open the season, the Illini have now started the season with a victory in four-straight seasons...the Illini have also won their home opener in four of the last five seasons.
• In her first appearance since Oct. 21, 2021, Makena Silber scored the 20th goal of her Illini career against Loyola on Aug. 17, moving her into a tie for ninth in goals in program history...after her goal on Sept. 17 at Iowa, she is now tied with Colleen Joyce (21, 2000-01) for eighth and trails Lisa Baldwin (23, 1998-00) by two goals as she looks to continue to move up the program's leaderboard.
• Freshman Mya Archibald scored what proved to be the match-winning goal in the 85th minute against Loyola on Aug. 17...this marks the third-straight season that an Illini true freshman has scored on their collegiate debut in the season opener, with Sarah Foley accomplishing the feat last season against Illinois State on Aug. 18, 2021, and Abby Lynch opening her account on Aug. 19, 2021, at Missouri.
• Mya Archibald, Bel Rolley, Izzy Lee and Ashley Stellon all made their Illini debuts against Loyola on Aug. 17...Archibald scored her first-career goal and Stellon also registered the first assist of her career in the match...Rolley logged 43 minutes of action and Lee played the entirety of the second half in goal.

Illini Trio Named to Big Ten Players to Watch List

The Big Ten announced its Women's Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List on Tuesday, with seniors Kennedy Berschel and Makala Woods along with junior Ella Karolak representing the Illini.

A midfielder from Bensenville, Ill., Berschel played in all 18 matches, starting 14, last season for the Illini and was one of nine outfield players to log over 1000 minutes during the campaign. Berschel is also coming off a season in which she scored the first goal and registered the first assist in her collegiate career.

Woods, a senior forward from Monroe, Ohio, also featured in all 18 matches last season, scoring a career-high three goals. Woods found the back of the net twice in the final four games of the 2022, including a spectacular solo effort in the season finale vs. Minnesota.

A mainstay in the Illinois backline, Karolak started all 18 matches for the Illini last season, the only outfield player to do so. The defender from Grosse Pointe, Mich., who was named the team's Defensive MVP in 2022, helped the Orange and Blue keep four clean sheets during the season.

Illini Roster Features Three Newcomers

The Fighting Illini soccer program and head coach Janet Rayfield will welcome three newcomers, including two freshmen to the 2023 roster. The freshmen include defender Mya Archibald and midfielder Sophia Wampler. Bel Rolley also joins the Orange and Blue as a graduate transfer from Oregon.

Archibald joins the Illini following a summer that featured her representing Canada at the U-17 level at two international competitions. She made seven appearances and five starts at the CONCACAF U-17 Women's Championship, helping Canada to a bronze medal finish, and two starts at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

Not only is Archibald a budding star at the international level, she is a decorated track and field athlete. She was a 2022 provincial gold medalist in the 400m and long jump while capturing a silver medal in the 200m. Archibald was the 2019 U-16 Athlete of the Year for Athletics in Nova Scotia after becoming a national champion at high jump.

Wampler joins the Illini bringing a wealth of international experience to Demirjian Park. She was called up to train with Peru's U-17 in the winter of 2021 as it prepared for the 2022 South American Championships and has also previously trained with the federation's U-15 squad.

Wampler played her club soccer for both the Kings Hammer Academy and Cincinnati United Premier, helping her Kings Hammer Academy squad to a 2018 USYSA Region II title and national runners-up honors.

The Cincinnati native was simply dominant in her lone season at St. Ursula Academy, scoring 12 goals and adding nine assists in 19 games in the 2022 season. Wampler was named a Cincinnati Enquirer Division I First-Team All-Star, Division I First-Team All-Southwest Ohio, First-Team Greater Girls Catholic League All-Conference and was selected to play in the Cincinnati All-Star Game.