After defeating LSU 1-0 on Friday night, the Illini dominated possession and outshot previously unbeaten No. 23 Louisville 26-10 en route to a 3-0 victory Sunday.

“(Sunday) was much more of a game where the ball stayed on the ground a lot,” Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said. “They were trying to move it around. And it’s the game that I think we’re good at. That’s the style that suits us.”

The Illini were once again without the services of injured co-leading goalscorer Jordan Hilbrands, but their offensive firepower was on full display, as the bench provided a much-needed offensive spark. Freshman Megan Pawloski came off the bench in the first half to score the first goal of the game.

Sophomore Marissa Holden played nine minutes in the first half before scoring her first career goal to seal the win in the final minutes of the game.

“It feels really good,” Holden said. “(Marissa Mykines) played an amazing ball to me right before the (18-yard-box). I was just hoping I didn’t miss.”

Six players saw substantial action off the bench for Illinois on Sunday, something Holden said she wasn’t expecting.

“The depth of this team is something that we’ll count on,” Rayfield said. “We trust everybody we put on the field to be able to get the job done, and I think they did that today.”

“Sunday our legs are, you know, after playing on Friday, a little bit more fatigued,” Holden said. “So (Rayfield) does try to rotate a little bit.”

From the opening kickoff, Illinois was the better team, constantly applying pressure to the Louisville defense. They finally broke through in the 37th minute when Pawloski banged home a cross from Jackie Guerra. The second half was more of the same. Shayla Mutz scored her second goal of the season to make it 2-0 before Holden iced it in the 87th minute.

Sunday’s win came on the heels of a hard-fought 1-0 victory Friday night against LSU. In a back-and-forth physical contest, the Illini broke through with seven minutes remaining in regulation when defender Krystin Miller buried a penalty kick in the back of the net.

“It’s something I’ve always practiced,” Miller said about the penalty kick. “I know that’s my role on the team and so I was fortunate enough to just step up and finish today.”

Although Miller is a defender, Rayfield said she has complete confidence in her shooting ability.

“Would you want to stand up and look at her face-to-face from 12 yards away?” Rayfield said of the 6-foot Miller.

The pair of victories gives Illinois three straight shutouts and a 7-1 record heading into Big Ten play next week.

“Our defense just keeps maturing and our team just keeps maturing,” Rayfield said. “When you start stringing together shutouts, you start to get a little momentum. And this team is very proud now of the shutouts they had and they want that to continue, so they’re defending like it really means something.”

The Illini’s 7-1 mark through its first eight games ties the best start under Rayfield’s tenure at Illinois.

“We’re playing really well right now, but this team can be even better,” Rayfield said. “I like where we are right now, but I what I really like is where I think we can get to.”