CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – [9] Illinois women's soccer is set for its rematch against [1] Washington in the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday (Nov. 2) at Folk Field in West Lafayette, Ind. Kick off is slated for 11:30 a.m. CT.
Izzy Lee broke the program record for saves in a single season with 113 on the year passing Steph Panozzo, who made 111 stops in 2012. She made 11 saves in the Illini's first-round matchup against Ohio State, including nine in the first half which is her career high for both saves in a match and in a half.Â
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
Washington leads the all-time series 4–1. The Huskies have won four straight matchups against Illinois, with the most recent being a 2-1 win earlier this season on Sept. 21 in Seattle.
Washington, as the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, will look to control tempo, maintain strong defensive shape, and capitalize on transitions or set pieces. The Illini must beware Washington's ability to stay sharp in tight games.
Illinois returns to the Big Ten Tournament with a chance to reverse recent result trends against Washington. While the series record is tilted, this single-elimination format levels the field. Having lost 2-1 to Washington earlier in the season with the difference being an own goal, Illinois knows the Huskies can close out tight matches.
The Illini will need sharp finishing, strong transitions and to maintain their defensive consistency. Illinois will need to take advantage of possession phases, exploit any space given by Washington when they push forward, and minimize errors. Making the most of every chance and staying focused in the final third will determine the outcome.
NOTES
- Illinois has two top-10 point scores in the Big Ten with Sarah Foley and Cayla Jackson tied for eighth (17 points).
- Illinois scored 28 goals throughout the regular season which was the fourth most in the Big Ten.
- The Illini have eclipsed 12 wins in a season for the first time since 2011 (17 wins).
- Only two teams in top 100 RPI played 11 road games being Illinois and Weber State.
- Illinois is 1-of-12 teams in all DI soccer with 11 or more away matches carrying a 7-3-1 record in those outings.Â
- Out of those 12 teams only Illinois (7-3-1), Weber State (6-4-1) and North Dakota (6-3-2) have winning records.
- The Illini's seven road wins are the most in the nation tied with Texas Tech, Saint Louis, Ball State, Dayton and TCU.
- Head coach Katie Hultin recorded the best start in program history at 7-0-1 through eight matches and extended it to 9-1-1 through 11 matches.
- She's the only head coach in program history to win her first seven games in her debut season and not concede a match in her first nine games.
- She earned her first ranked win against No. 18 Penn State on Sept. 25.
- She became the third head coach in program history to win a Big Ten Tournament game in her debut season with her win against [8] Ohio State, Oct. 30.
- Izzy Lee has posted 10 clean sheets this season in 19 appearances, making 113 saves across those 19 matches. She has 15 career shutouts and continues to build on her single-season shutouts career high.
- Her 113 saves are a new single season career high and the new program record.
- Her 10 shutouts are now the third most in program history for a single season.
- She became the first Illinois keeper to make 100+ saves in a season in 12 years since Claire Wheatley had 101 in 2013.
- She's the fifth Illini keeper to make 100+ saves in a single season.Â
- She leads the Big Ten with those 10 shutouts and set a new single game career high with 11 saves against [8] Ohio State on Oct. 30.
- Sarah Foley leads the team in goals (seven) and points (17). She recorded her first career hat trick against Valparaiso on Sept. 7. She's the first Illini to have a hat trick since Hope Breslin in 2021.
- She has three game winners on the season which is the fifth most in the conference and her seven goals on the year are the eighth most in the Big Ten.
- Her two assists in the match against Maryland on Oct. 5 was a new single game career high for her.
- Cayla Jackson has seven goals and three assists for 17 points on the season to tie Foley for the team lead in points and goals.
- She also has three game winners on the year as well also tying Foley for the team lead.
- Emma Yee registered her first career brace against Valparaiso on Sept. 7 and has six goals on the season for the third most on the team.
- Her 13 points on the season are the third most on the team.
- She also has two game winning goals, the second most on the squad.
- Lia Howard recorded her first career brace against No. 18 Penn State on Sept. 25; she now has four goals and nine points on the season which is the fourth most on the team.
- She netted the game winner against Ohio State on Oct. 30.
- Ellen Persson recorded two goals this season for a new single season career high. This included her first career game winning goal against Kentucky on Aug. 31.
- She leads the team in minutes played, playing 1,683 minutes out of a possible 1,710.
- Ashley Stellon's four assists lead the team.
- Sydney Stephens has three goals and an assist on the year for seven points which ranks fourth on the team. She netted the game winner against Rutgers on Oct. 9, her second on the season which is tied for the second most on the team.
- Freshman Ashlyn Adams dished out two assists in the win against No. 18 Penn State on Sept. 25, she now has three on the season which is the second most on the team.
- Freshman Kyra Berman recorded her first career assist against DePaul on Aug. 28.
