CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois soccer continues Big Ten play this week when they welcome Big Ten newcomers No. 19 USC and UCLA to Demirjian Park. The Illini will take on the Trojans on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT before facing the Bruins on Sunday at 1 p.m.
These two matches mark the first time that USC or UCLA has traveled to Champaign in any sport since joining the conference this season.
The 2024 season marks the 28th season of Illinois soccer, with the Illini holding an overall record of 289-222-48 (.560), and the 23rd season under the leadership of head coach Janet Rayfield.
PROMOTIONS
Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. USC | 7 p.m. CT
Kick Cancer – Illinois will honor and promote the fight against cancer with their annual Kick Cancer promotion. Each fan will receive a colored ribbon according to the type of cancer they would like to support, and each ribbon will be tied to a net.
Alumni Weekend – We welcome back our former Illini soccer members, during Illinois’ Hall of Fame Weekend.
Sunday, Oct. 13 vs. UCLA | 1 p.m. CT
Alumni Weekend – We welcome back our former Illini soccer members, during Illinois’ Hall of Fame Weekend.
Latinx Heritage Night – Illinois celebrates Latinx Heritage Night vs. USC with specialty food items available in the concession stand throughout the match.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illini were victorious in their lone match last week, earning a 2-1 comeback victory over Purdue in West Lafayette, extending their winning streak to two matches.
Purdue would take the lead in the 39th minute and take its advantage into the break. Illinois controlled possession throughout the second half, which led to a penalty kick in the 49th minute. Emma Yee’s shot from the spot was saved, but the Illini would get their equalizer in the 57th minute through Kennedy Berschel. Lia Howard would win it for the Illini in the 83rd with a stunning solo effort.
SCOUTING USC
Illinois and USC have matched up against each other twice in program history, with the Trojans taking both matches by a score of 3-1.
They travel to Champaign with a 9-1-2 record on the year and a 5-0-1 record in the Big Ten, winning their last match, 2-0, at home against Oregon in a match in which forward Maile Hayes scored a pair of goals.
USC was picked to finish fifth in Big Ten with forward Maribel Flores, defender Brooklyn Courtnall, and forward/defender Kayla Colbert being named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
SCOUTING UCLA
This will be the fourth time that the two programs have met, with the last matchup coming on Aug. 26, 2012, in Los Angeles. This will be the first meeting in Champaign since Sept. 4, 2009, when the No. 9 Bruins defeated the Illini by a score of 2-1. UCLA defeated Washington, 1-0, at home during its only match last week, and have gone 10-2-2 overall on the season.
UCLA was tabbed to finish first in Big Ten with defender Lilly Reale and midfielders Meg Boade and Emm Egizii being named to the Big Ten Players to Watch list.
ILLINOIS NOTES
- Illinois picked up its first comeback win of the season on Oct. 6 at Purdue…the Illini had also previously been 0-3-0 on the season when trailing at halftime…it;s also the Illini’s first win when trailing at the half since Sept. 22, 2022, at Maryland…the Orange and Blue have now won three-straight matches over Purdue, the longest such streak in program history, and have also won two-straight in West Lafayette after going winless in their first 10 road matches against the Boilermakers.
- Lia Howard scored her third goal of the season, and her second match-winner, on Oct. 6 at Purdue in the 83rd minute of the contest…all three of Howard’s goals this season have come in the 80th minute or later…the junior is tied for second on the squad with three goals and also leads the team with three assists…her nine points also rank second on the Illini.
- 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’s 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 nine 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 18 points on the season (8 G, 2 A)…Foley’s 18 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 seventh-most in the nation.
- Izzy Lee has recorded three clean sheets and 69 saves through 13 matches this season, tied for 24th-most in the country…her 82.1 save percentage is the second-highest mark among conference keepers that have seen at least 1,170 minutes of action on the season…nationally, it is the ninth-hightest mark among keepers that have also reached that minutes threshold…she leads Big Ten keepers in saves and saves per game (5.31)…that mark is also second-highest nationally among keepers that have seen at least 1,170 minutes of action.
- The Illini head into the contest boasting one of the most potent attacks in the country…their 23 goals rank seventh in the Big Ten…Illinois also ranks second in the Big Ten with 28 assists, which ranks tied for 29th nationally…the Illini have 16 players that have recorded an assist on the season…the attack is also averaging 5.7 points per game, which ranks fifth 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 two-match road trip at Indiana on Oct. 17 and at Rutgers on Oct. 20. Kickoffs are set for 6 p.m. and 12 p.m. CT, respectively.
