The Illinois Soccer Stadium conjures up two different memories for Illinois and Nebraska.

For the Illini, it was the site of their last victory, and one that pushed them through to the Elite Eight for the first time in history. For the Cornhuskers, it was the field where their season ended and hopes of a championship disappeared.

Tonight at 7 p.m., both teams make their return to the stadium in a rematch of last year’s Sweet Sixteen. No. 13 Illinois (0-1-1) is making its home debut after struggling through its first two games of the season. No. 17 Nebraska (2-0-0) opened its season with two straight home victories and is looking for payback in its first road game.

“It’s a statement game for us to show that we’re going to come out and compete no matter what every day,” said Illini head coach Janet Rayfield. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to come out and win, but it means that every day we’re going to compete hard.”

Trying to repeat last year’s magic, the Illini did not score in their first two games last weekend against Marquette and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The team garnered some positives from the play of sophomore goalkeeper Lindsay Carstens, who allowed just one goal in 200 minutes, and notched the first shutout of her career against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

“It was a good start to the season to get a shutout the first weekend,” said Cartsens. “It was a great feeling. I have one of the best defenses in the country playing in front of me.”

The defense has been stellar, shutting out opponents for nearly 176 minutes and allowing only 10 shots on goal. The offense improved in the second game, attempting 18 shots compared to eight in the first game. However, the offense has struggled to find the back of the net without their top goal scorer from the last two years, former All-American Tara Hurless.

“This team is going to score goals by its organization and a combined effort of different people,” Rayfield said. “That takes time to coordinate. But this is a team that is going to score more and more goals as the season goes on.”

Nebraska has opened the season strong, outscoring its opponents 7-1 in the first two games. This year’s team includes nine starters from last year, 2003 point leader Jesse Brusch back from injury and the No. 7-ranked freshman class. Nebraska, with a victory, would be off to its best start since 2001, when they won five in a row.

“Their strength is their athleticism, and their ability to get the ball forward quickly,” Rayfield said. “The challenge for us will be if we can take the ball and play the way we want to, because of the contrasting styles of play.”

The Illini are hoping to re-enact last year’s events, when they won 2-1 in a tightly contested match, the winning goal coming off a penalty kick in the 85th minute.

“It was unbelievable last year,” said junior Eva Strickland. “There was a record-setting crowd. The emotions we’re so high, because it was the Sweet Sixteen game. I remember being so happy afterwards, I can’t even describe it.”

On Sunday at 2 p.m., the team continues its homestand against Western Illinois (0-0-2), who are looking for their first victory of their season.

“We haven’t played our best soccer yet, and that is an easily fixable thing,” Rayfield said. “Our attitude is that nobody has seen the real Illinois yet, so when it comes out, (people) will decide whether or not we’re a top-10 team.”