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| WEEK 4: Illinois (3-1-1, 0-0-0) at Georgia (1-2-2, 0-0-0) // at Mercer (4-1-1, 0-0-0) | |
|---|---|
| Match 6: Georgia | Thursday, Sept. 5 // 5:30 p.m. CT // Turner Soccer Complex // Athens, Ga. |
| Match 7: Mercer | Sunday, Sept. 8 // 1 p.m. CT // Betts Stadium // Macon, Ga. |
| Watch Live | Georgia // Mercer |
| Live Stats | FightingIllini.com |
| Printable Notes | Illinois // Georgia // Mercer |
| Shop | Online Store |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois soccer hits the road for the first time this season for a pair of matches in the Peach State. First up, a second-straight SEC foe, Georgia on Thursday in Athens before heading south to take on Mercer in Macon . Kickoffs are set for 5:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. CT, respectively.
The 2024 season marks the 28th season of Illinois soccer, with the Illini holding an overall record of 286-218-47 (.562), and the 23rd season under the leadership of head coach Janet Rayfield.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illini suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 2-1 to Kentucky on Aug. 31 at Demirjian Park, ending their four-match unbeaten run to begin the campaign.
Kentucky jumped out to a 2-0 lead early in the second half before Sarah Foley, with her third goal of the season, pulled Illinois within a goal, but the Orange and Blue were unable to come up with the equalizer.
The Illini went 3-1-1 in their season-opening five-match homestand.
SCOUTING GEORGIA
Illinois holds a 1-0-0 all-time record against Georgia, winning 2-1 in the only matchup between the two programs on Sept. 5, 2003 , in Athens, Ga.
The Bulldogs enter the match with a 1-2-2 record during the 2024 season. In its previous matchweek, Georgia went 0-1-1 with a draw at No. 1 Florida State on Aug. 29, before suffering a 0-2 loss at Central Florida on Sept. 1.
In the first United Soccer Coaches Poll of the 2024 season Georgia was slotted at 16, since then the Bulldogs have gone 1-2-1 and have fallen out of the top 25. Georgia was tabbed to finish 3rd in the SEC this season and were represented on the SEC Preseason Watchlist by goalkeeper Jordan Brown, midfielders Summer Denigan, Amber Nguyen, Dasia Torbert and Nicole Vernis, and forwards Nargie Detrizio, and Hannah White.
SCOUTING MERCER
The two programs are set to face each other for the first time on Sunday.
The Bears have started the 2024 season with a 4-1-1 record, which includes a 3-0-0 mark at Betts Stadium. In its previous matchweek, Mercer went 0-1-1 in its first road matches of the season, earning a 2-2 draw at Georgia Southern on Aug. 29 before dropping a 1-2 contest on Sept. 1 at North Florida.
In the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Mercer was tabbed to finish fourth, with forwards Jada Moorman and Larkin Thomason named to the SoCon Women’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team.
ILLINOIS NOTES
- Sarah Foley netted her team-leading third goal of the season on Aug. 31 vs. Kentucky…she enters the matchweek with goals in consecutive contests for the first time in her Illinois career…the three goals is also a career-best mark and the junior has also set a career-best mark with seven points on the season (3 G, 1 A).
- Izzy Lee has recorded two clean sheets and 18 saves through five matches this season…her .818 save percentage is the third-highest mark among conference keepers that have seen at least 450 minutes of action on the season.
- 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.
MOODY NAMED BIG TEN FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Redshirt freshman forward Regan Moody has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, the conference announced on Aug. 26.
The Belleville, Ill., native, netted two goals during the second matchweek, helping the Illini to a 1-0-1 record.
Against Missouri on Aug. 22, Moody’s 73rd-minute header off a corner was the first of her career and put Illinois ahead 1-0 in the contest.
Moody followed that up with another headed goal vs. Illinois State, on Aug. 25, in the 37th minute, giving the Illini a 3-0 lead over the Redbirds.
It is the first time in her career that she has scored in consecutive matches and she becomes the first Illinois player to perform the feat this season.
This marks the first weekly honor in Moody’s career and she becomes the first Illini to earn freshman of the week since Naomi Jackson on Sept. 21, 2021.
Archibald Named to Canada’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster
Sophomore defender and Fall River, Nova Scotia, native, Mya Archibald has been named to Canada’s roster for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, the association announced on Aug. 19. This marks the second time that Archibald has represented Canada at a youth-level World Cup Finals, having also been named to the U-17 squad that competed in India in 2022. She started two matches, helping Canada to a pair of 1-1 draws.
Following the World Cup, Archibald went on to earn a bronze medal the 2022 CONCACAF U-17 Women’s Championship, making seven appearances and five starts.
Canada’s preparation camp will run from Aug. 22-26 in Bogotá, before the team heads to Medellín on Aug. 27, ahead of its opening-round match on Aug. 31 vs. France. Canada, drawn into Group B, will also be taking on Fiji (Sept. 3) and Brazil (Sept. 6).
Illini Trio Named to Big Ten Women’s Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List
The Big Ten announced its Women’s Soccer Preseason Players to Watch List on Aug. 13, with fifth-year Kennedy Berschel, senior Ella Karolak and sophomore Mya Archibald representing the Illini.
A midfielder from Bensenville, Ill., Berschel started in all 17 matches last season, setting new career-high marks in goals (2) and assists (2) during the campaign, playing in 1,317 of a possible 1,530 minutes. She also registered career-best totals in shots (16) and shots on goal (9) during the 2023 season.
A defender from Grosse Pointe, Mich., Karolak has been a mainstay in the Illinois backline, making 35-consecutive starts over the past two seasons while not missing a single minute. She anchored an Illini defense that kept three clean sheets and allowed 25 goals on the season, the program’s lowest mark in a full season since 2018. Karolak also tallied one assist last fall.
A defender from Fall River, Nova Scotia, Canada, Archibald played in all 17 contests last season, making 16 starts. She scored the match-winning goal on her debut on Aug. 17, 2023, vs. Loyola and later provided her first-career assist on Oct. 15, 2023, vs. Purdue.
ILLINI ROSTER FEATURES 12 NEWCOMERS
The Fighting Illini soccer program and head coach Janet Rayfield will welcome 12 newcomers, including 10 freshmen to the 2024 roster. The freshmen include goalkeepers Emily Coral and Peyton Rhodes, defenders Mia Gildea and Bella Zanoni, midfielders Ava LeGault, AJ Mayock, Lauren Seppi and Izzi Wirtz, and forwards Claire Murray and Emma Yee. Anessa Arndt (Old Dominion) and Lindsey DuSatko (Valparaiso) join the squad as transfers.
“This class is a diverse group of winners,” Rayfield said. “They come from winning programs, they are driven to win and they are coming to Illinois to help us win. They each have special talents and unique strengths to bring to the field and their collective competitive mentality will help us enter the new Big Ten conference poised to compete and expecting to win.”
UP NEXT
The Illini hit the road for a pair of matches in Georgia. First, they fill face the No. 24 Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 5 before taking on Mercer on Sept. 8. Kickoffs are set for 5:30 p.m. CT and 1 p.m. CT, respectively.
