Illinois State (2-3-2) will make the trip to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois on Sunday afternoon to take on Illinois (4-2). The match will kick off at 1 p.m. at Illinois Soccer Stadium.
Illinois currently leads the all-time series, 9-3-2, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 2-0 Illinois State win in 2017. Sarah LaFayette and Kelli Zickert scored for the Redbirds in the match that saw Illinois State outshoot Illinois 29-12 and 10-5 in shots on goal.
The match will be streamed on Big Ten Network Plus but requires a subscription. Fans can follow along with live stats or @Redbird_Soccer on Twitter for in-game updates.Â
Illinois – What You Need to Know
The Fighting Illini are coming off a 5-0 shutout over SIUE last Sunday. Four different Illinois players scored, led by senior Katie Murray who totaled two goals in the match. Freshman Mckenna Silber got Illinois an early lead, scoring in the very first minute of play. Senior Caraline Ratz and junior Kelly Maday also netted goals for the Illini.
Illinois is 4-2 so far this season including wins over No. 3 Duke and No. 14 Oklahoma State. Their two losses were to No. 6 North Carolina and DePaul, both games ending in a 3-1 score. Junior goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham has 20 saves in goal for the Fighting Illini this season. Â
Last Time Out
A tenth-minute goal proved to be the difference as Illinois State fell to the Wisconsin Badgers (5-1) in Madison, Wisconsin on Thursday night, 1-0. Junior Haley Smith had five saves for the Redbirds in goal.
The Badgers took the lead at 9:48 when sophomore Lauren Rice sent in a cross on a corner kick that Grace Douglas knocked in amidst the chaos for her first goal of the season. Junior Dani Rhodes was also credited with an assist.
Goalkeeper Haley Smith had a shining moment in the 44th minute when she made a phenomenal save on a Peyton Wesley penalty kick. Wesley aimed a rocket to the lower left corner of the goal that Smith dove and punched out. Smith has a total of 35 saves this season and 192 career saves.
After being outshot 9-1 in the first half, the Redbirds fought back in the second half to take five shots while limiting the Badgers to six. Junior Abby Basler led the team with three shots, two on goal. Kate Del Fava and Natalie Vaughn-Low also tallied shots on goal for Illinois State.
For all the latest on Illinois State soccer, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team at @Redbird_Soccer (Twitter, Facebook).
