WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Illinois soccer (6-5-2, 2-3-1) captured a massive 2-1 win on the road at Purdue (6-6-1, 2-4-0) today at Folk Field.
The Illini went into the break down 1-0, but goals from Kennedy Berschel and Lia Howard in the second half earned the visitors three crucial points.
It was end-to-end action from kickoff, with Illinois keeper Izzy Lee called into action early, needing to make a huge save in a 1v1 situation in the sixth minute to keep the hosts off the scoreboard.
The Orange and Blue's first attack of the contest came in the 12th minute when Sarah Foley was played through on goal on a swift counter, but the junior pushed her shot just wide of the post.
Another sweeping counter attack in the 19th minute led to a chance for defender Ella Karolak, who had marauded forward, but her goal-bound strike was kept out by a great save from the Boilermaker keeper.
Some sustained Illinois pressure led to three corner kicks in the 22nd-24th minutes, but the Purdue defense was able to keep the Illini off of the scoresheet.
The hosts would find the breakthrough in the 39th minute, when a well-worked move put a forward in on goal, who made no mistake in sliding the ball past Lee and into the net.
The Boilermakers would take their 1-0 lead into halftime, despite the Illini holding an advantage in shots (6-5) and narrowly trailing in corner kicks (5-6).
Illinois started the second half on the front foot, dominating possession in its attacking third.
Its early control of the match paid off in the 49th minute when Mya Archibald was brought down in the penalty area following her driving run into the box. Emma Yee stepped up to take the spot kick, but her effort was denied by the Purdue keeper, and the Illini remained down a goal.
Undeterred, Illinois continued to press for the equalizer and remained in control of the match. In the 57th minute, Berschel intercepted a pass at midfield and would eventually be played through on goal by a well-weighted through ball form Howard. The fifth-year midfielder fired her shot across the face of the goal and into the bottom-left corner of the net to level the tie.
What was a wide-open match turned into a defensive battle, as both sides were committed to not allowing another goal in the contest.
Purdue nearly re-took the lead in the 78th minute, when a shot deflected off of the bar and into the path of an on-rushing attacker, but the Illinois defense was able to clear its lines.
In the 83rd minute, the Illini forced a turnover at midfield and Lauren Seppi played Berschel into space down the right wing. The Bensenville, Ill., native, timed her pass perfectly to the run of Howard, who picked up the ball on the right side of the penalty area. Howard was able to beat her defender and fire her right-footed strike over the keeper's head into the left-side netting, giving the Orange and Blue a dramatic late lead.
Illinois was able to see out the final seven minutes of the match, holding Purdue without a shot, and earned the important 2-1 victory.
The Illini have now won three-straight over the Boilermakers, the longest streak in program history. Illinois has also won two-straight matches at Folk Field after having no wins in its first 10 matchups against Purdue in West Lafayette.
The Fighting Illini will be back in action on Thursday, when they welcome Big Ten newcomers No. 21 USC to Demirjian Park. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT.
