Friday night was like d‚j… vu all over again for the Illini soccer team.

All season long, the Illini have been able to shut down their opponents and create scoring opportunities but have not been able to score for themselves.

On Friday night, the Illini out-shot Northwestern 16-4 but finished the game in a scoreless tie.

Although the tie clinched a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten for the 19th-ranked Illini, giving them a record of 5-3-2 in the conference, a win would have given them a share of third place with Michigan.

The Illini dominated Friday night everywhere except the scoreboard. Offensively, the Illini recorded seven shots on goal, with senior forward Tara Hurless leading the way with three.

Defensively, Illini senior goalkeeper Leisha Alcia had to make only one save in the game en route to her eighth shutout of the season. The defense held Northwestern to only one shot in each of the two periods and two shots in the second overtime.

Although the Illini did not come away with the win, Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield was happy with the team’s level of play.

“Right now, we are playing some of our best soccer,” Rayfield said. “The defense is playing strong and our frontrunners are setting up some great opportunities.”

In the end, it all came down to the Illini’s inability to put the ball in the net. They had eight corner kick opportunities – three coming in the first overtime period -but still could not manage a goal.

“It’s been the story of the year for us,” Rayfield said. “We came out and played great soccer, serving balls into the box and setting up great opportunities, but this is just another instance where we still need to find a way to get a goal.”

The Illini do not want to get too caught up in their inability to score. Rayfield believed if the team did not pressure itself, the goals would come naturally.

“We’re not worried about scoring a lot of goals,” Rayfield said. “We just need to get that first one and then we will take it from there.”

One of the things the Illini might try to help the scoring attack is to organize the players that are in the box, Rayfield said.

“It would be easier to find each other in the box if we are organized,” she said. “That way our players will know where everyone is and we can get in line more effectively.”

The Illini realize they are playing some of their best soccer of the season and hope to carry the momentum into the postseason.

“I think we have a lot of confidence,” Rayfield said. “We can play soccer with anybody and we know that as a team.”

On Wednesday, the Illini are scheduled to close out the regular season at home against St. Louis University, and they will be looking to improve their offensive attack.

“We did a lot of things in practice (on Sunday),” Rayfield said. “I think we had a tendency to hesitate and try to do too much, but we need to take more shots and keep shooting. If we keep working hard and fight hard in the box, those goals will come.”