Illini Set to Face Purdue on the Road – University of Illinois Athletics

All RSS feed content is owned by the respective 3rd party website.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois soccer makes the short trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on the Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday, Oct. 9, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. CT.

The 2022 season marks the 26th season of Illinois soccer, with the Illini holding an overall record of 276-207-41 (.566 ), and the 21st season under the leadership of head coach Janet Rayfield.

Last Time Out

Illinois went 0-1-1 on its two-match Big Ten homestand last week. They earned a point against Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 29, in a 2-2 draw and suffered a defeat at the hands of No. 8 Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 2, 4-0. The Illini are 1-3-0 against ranked opponents this season.

Scouting Purdue

The Illini lead the all-time series between the two programs 13-10-3, with Illinois falling 2-1 to Purdue in the last matchup on Sept. 23, 2021, at Demirjian Park. The Orange and Blue have gone 2-4-0 in the last six meetings with the Boilermakers. Purdue has gone 0-4-1 in conference play this season, going 0-1-1 last matchweek, with both matches played at Folk Field. They earned a draw against Nebraska, 1-1, before suffering a 3-0 defeat to Rutgers.

Purdue was picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten this season, with midfielder Sydney Duarte, forward Gracie Dunaway and midfielder Emily Mathews named as preseason players to watch.

Illini Notes

• Junior goalkeeper Julia Cili leads all Big Ten keepers with 60 saves this season. During the match against Penn State, she became the eighth goalkeeper in Illinois history to record 100 career saves.
• 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 head to Lincoln to face Nebraska on Thursday, Oct. 13, before heading home to take on No. 16 Ohio State at Demirjian Park on Sunday, Oct. 16.