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| WEEK 8: Illinois (5-5-2, 1-3-1) at Purdue (6-5-1, 2-3-0) | |
|---|---|
| Match 13: Purdue | Sunday, Oct. 6 // 12 p.m. CT // Folk Field // West Lafayette, Ind. |
| Watch Live | Purdue |
| Live Stats | FightingIllini.com |
| Printable Notes | Illinois // Purdue |
| Shop | Online Store |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois soccer continues Big Ten play this weekend when they make the short trip to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on Purdue at Folk Field. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.
The 2024 season marks the 28th season of Illinois soccer, with the Illini holding an overall record of 288-222-48 (.560), and the 23rd season under the leadership of head coach Janet Rayfield.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illini went 1-1-0 in their previous matchweek, falling 1-0 on the road at Nebraska on Sept. 26 before returning home on Sept.29 at and earning a 1-0 over Maryland at Demirjian Park.
Illinois suffered its second 1-0 defeat in Big Ten play this season at Nebraska, with the Huskers 58th minute goal from a corner kick proving to be the difference. The Illini attack was held to just two shots on goal in the contest. Orange and Blue keeper Izzy Lee made nine saves in the contest, matching her career high.
The Illini earned their first win of the conference season over Maryland, 1-0, thanks to Sarah Foley’s penalty kick in the 17th minute. A stout Illinois defense allowed just one shot on goal in the match as the unit posted its third clean sheet of the season. It was the first shutout victory over a Big Ten team by the Illini since March 13, 2020, vs. Indiana.
SCOUTING PURDUE
Illinois leads in the all-time series against Purdue 15-10-3, earning a 2-1 victory in the last meeting on Oct. 15, 2023, at Demirjian Park. The Boilermakers are 6-5-1 on the year with a 2-3-0 record in conference play. In their previous matchweek, they traveled to the Pacific Northwest where they took a 2-0 loss against Washington and a 1-0 win against Oregon.
Purdue was picked to finish 16th in the Big Ten this season with defender Sydney Boudreau, and forwards Kayla Budish and Gracie Dunaway being named to the preseason players to watch list.
ILLINOIS NOTES
- Sarah Foley scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season from the penalty spot on Sept. 29 vs. Maryland…she also scored her second brace of the season on Sept. 19 at Wisconsin, her second-career brace and second of the season, with her first-career brace coming on Sept. 8 at Mercer…Foley he eight goals are tied for fourth-most in the Big Ten…it is also the first time an Illini has hit the eight-goal mark in a season since 2018…she enters the matchweek with seven goals in her last eight contests, amassing 14 points during that span…the eight goals is a career-best mark and the junior has also set a career-best mark with 17 points on the season (8 G, 1 A)…Foley’s 17 points are the most by an Illini in a single season since 2019 (Kelly Maday, 18)…Foley also leads the squad with four game-winning goals, which is tied for fifth-most in the nation.
- Izzy Lee has recorded three clean sheets and 67 saves through 12 matches this season, tied for 16th-most in the country…her 82.7 save percentage is the highest mark among conference keepers that have seen at least 1,080 minutes of action on the season…nationally, it is tied for the 13th-hightest mark among keepers that have also reached that minutes threshold…her 67 total saves are tied for 16th-most in the country…she leads Big Ten keepers in saves and saves per game (5.58)…that mark is also tied for third-highest nationally among keepers that have seen at least 1,080 minutes of action.
- The Illini head into the contest boasting one of the most potent attacks in the country…their 21 goals rank seventh in the Big Ten…Illinois also ranks fifth the Big Ten with 24 assists…the Illini have 16 players that have recorded an assist on the season…the attack is also averaging 5.5 points per game, which ranks seventh in the conference.
- Claire Murray became the Illini’s 11th different goalscorer this season when she found the back of the net just 42 seconds into the match on Sept. 8 at Mercer…the last time Illinois had at least that many goalscorers in a single season was 2022, also 11…with Angie Galo’s first-career goal vs. Illinois State on Aug. 25, she became the 10th different Illini to find the back of the net this season…the Illini had nine different goalscorers in the 2023 season
- Demirjian Park welcomed 1,328 fans on Aug. 25 vs. Illinois State, the largest crowd in the history of the facility, which officially opened in 2021…it’s also the largest Illinois soccer crowd since 2013.
- Regan Moody’s goal vs. Missouri on Aug. 22 was the ninth goal scored by Illinois in the 2024 season…all of the first-nine goals scored by the Illini in 2024 came from a different player.
- In the Illini’s season opener on Aug. 15 vs. Wright State, 15 different players recorded a point in the contest, the most by any team in the country in the first matchweek. The six goals scored were the most in a single match by the Illini since an 8-0 triumph over Northern Illinois on Aug. 26, 2018.
- Orange and Blue newcomers have made an instant impact on the pitch, with Lauren Seppi (1 G, 1 A), Lindsey DuSatko (1 A), Mia Gildea (1 A), Emma Yee (1 A) and Bella Zanoni (1 A) recording goal contributions in their Illini debuts on Aug. 15 vs. Wright State.
- The Fighting Illini began the season for the third-straight year at Demirjian Park, coming away with wins over Illinois State (1-0, 2022) and Loyola (3-2, 2023) in the last two curtain raisers. Following its win over Wright State on Aug. 15, Illinois has won six-straight season openers, dating back to 2019.
- Illinois finished the 2023 season with a 6-8-3 record, including a 2-6-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Illini went 4-3-0 on the home pitch at Demirjian Park and 2-5-3 on the road.
- Illinois will face six opponents in 2024 that begin the season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25; Nebraska (6), UCLA (11), Georgia (14), Wisconsin (19), USC (23) and Iowa (25). The Illini went 2-3-0 against ranked opponents last season, their most ranked wins in a single season since 2018.
- The Illini return 16 letterwinners to the 2024 squad, seven of which started double-digit matches in 2023; Kennedy Berschel (17), Ella Karolak (17), Mya Archibald (16), Ellen Persson (16), Sydney Stephens (15), Sarah Foley (15) and Lia Howard (11). Illinois also returns a large portion of its offensive output, with 67 percent (14/21) of its goals and 68 percent (15/22) of its assists.
UP NEXT
The Illini continue Big Ten play with a trip to West Lafayette, Ind., on Oct. 6 to take on Purdue. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.