The Illinois soccer team opened its regular season with a 2-1 overtime win over the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Mo., on Saturday.

The Illini struck early on, with a goal from Marti Desjarlais at 6:55 on a Chichi Nweke assist. Two minutes into the first half Missouri tied the game 1-1 after a Michelle Collins goal.

The teams remained in a stalemate through the end of regulation, before Nweke sealed the Illini the win with an assist form Laura Knutson at 93:03.

“The reason we play Missouri early on is because they are a great test,” Illini head coach Janet Rayfield said. “Missouri exposed some things we need to fix, but it was a great start for our offense and a boost of confidence for our defense, which we’ve been focusing on in practice.”