The Illini soccer team is in for another fight on Saturday when it hosts Nebraska in the third round of the NCAA Tournament at 5 p.m. at the Illinois Track and Soccer Stadium.

Although Saturday’s game marks the first time in program history the Illini have played in the Sweet 16, the team is not satisfied with the berth alone – they want to win.

“We are going to work our best to reach the Elite Eight,” said senior forward Tara Hurless. “We are not going to just stop at the Sweet 16. We’ve had an intense week of practice and we’re ready for Nebraska.”

Nebraska comes into Saturday’s game with a 14-8 record. The Cornhuskers upset No. 8 Kansas 2-1 in the second round and defeated Oral Roberts 3-0 in the first round to reach the Sweet 16.

The Cornhuskers are an energetic team that likes to use its speed and athleticism to run the field, Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said.

“They play with a lot of emotion,” Rayfield said. “They have some size, so they are a good team in the air. They like to win balls in the midfield and use their speed to get up the field.”

Rayfield said the game plan for the Illini will be to stay organized.

“We want to possess the ball to allow our backs to join the offensive attack,” she said. “We want to make Nebraska use all the members of their team to defend. We also need to make sure we keep playing during the in-between moments.”

Hosting the game should help the Illini administer that game plan.

“We know the surface here,” Rayfield said. “It’ll make our jobs easier possessing the ball, because we’ve played on this field all year and it plays nicely.”

In last weekend’s game at Texas A&M;, the smooth surface played a role in the Illini victory.

With the energy Nebraska brings to the field, the crowd could be the “twelfth woman” in Saturday’s game.

“The crowd could be a huge factor,” Rayfield said. “Nebraska has a lot of energy, and I challenged members of the community to come out and support us. Our players will feed off that.”

Last weekend, the Illini fed on their underdog status against ninth-seeded Texas A&M.; In this weekend’s game, the Illini are the favored team. The Illini do not expect that to affect them.

“I don’t think it adds any pressure,” said sophomore forward Jessica Bayne. “We are going to do all we can do to win. We are not focused on our opponents as much as executing the game plan. If we execute and play together as a team, nobody can stop us.”

If the Illini win on Saturday, they will advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and play the winner of top-seeded North Carolina and 16th-seeded Santa Clara.