| WEEK 3: Illinois (5-0-0, 0-0-0) at Missouri (2-2-1, 0-0-0) // vs. Valparaiso (2-2-1, 0-0-0) |
| Match 6: Missouri |
Thursday, Sept. 4 // 5 p.m. CT // Walton Soccer Stadium // Columbia, Mo. |
| Match 7: Valparaiso |
Sunday, Sept. 7 // 1 p.m. CT // Demirjian Park // Champaign, Ill. |
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Missouri // Valparaiso |
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Missouri // Valparaiso |
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer is ready for its third week of action with a road trip to Columbia, Mo. to take on Missouri on Thursday (Sept. 4) at 5 p.m. before welcoming in Valparaiso to Demirjian Park on Sunday (Sept. 7) at 1 p.m. CT. It will be senior day in Champaign on Sunday where Fighting Illini soccer honors six seniors: Sarah Foley, Lia Howard, Cailynn Junk, Izzy Lee, Ellen Persson and Ashley Stellon.
In addition to senior day Sunday, it will also be 100 vs. Illini day where after the match 100 youth soccer players take on Illinois in a scrimmage.
SCOUTING MISSOURI
This will be the 15th overall meeting between the Tigers and Illini where the later trails the series 5-7-3. Their first meeting dates to Oct. 30, 1998, where Illinois won 2-1 in Columbia. The last meeting on Aug. 22, 2024, resulted in a 1-1 tie in Champaign. Missouri is currently 2-2-1 on the season with wins over Youngstown State (5-0) and Missouri State (2-0) with their tie to South Dakota State (1-1). Their two blemishes came against top-25 opponents first against No. 23 Saint Louis (1-0) and No. 15 Memphis (2-1).
SCOUTING VALPARAISO
This is the third meeting between Valparaiso and Illinois and the first this century. The two other times they played was on Sept. 27, 1998, where Illinois won 3-0 and Sept. 26, 1999, where the Orange and Blue again won 4-0. The Beacons are currently 2-2-1 on the year with wins over Purdue Fort Wayne (3-0) and Wright State (2-1) with their tie against Oakland (1-1). Their two loses came to Detroit Mercy (2-1) and Eastern Illinois (2-1).
ILLINOIS NOTES
- Head coach Katie Hultin has led the team to its first 5-0-0 start since 2004 and she's the second coach in program history win her first five games (Tricia Taliaferro, 1999).
- Izzy Lee has posted four clean sheets this season in five appearances, making 23 saves across those five games. She now has 10 career shutouts and has matched her single-season shutouts career high (four) which she set last year.
- Sarah Foley and Cayla Jackson lead the team with two goals apiece, each having a game winner.
- Ashley Stellon leads the team with three assists recording all three last week.
- Ellen Persson scored her first-career game winner against Kentucky on Sunday, it's her second-career goal.
- Emma Yee scored her first goal of the season (second in her career) as a game winner from the spot against DePaul.
- A pair of freshmen (Ashlyn Adams and Kyra Berman) each have an assist on the season for their first collegiate points.
