By Chris Kennedy

Staff writer

Before classes began this fall, the Illinois soccer team already won its first two games of the year. This weekend brings the Illini their first real test with a road trip to face Missouri and Saint Louis.

Illinois began the season Friday with a win over Morehead State and then beat in-state rival Illinois State on Sunday.

Senior goalie Michelle Denley anchored the net and managed a clean sheet in each of the Illini’s first two matches. In the game against Morehead State, she didn’t even need to make a save. The Eagles couldn’t manage a single shot in the first half, and only took three in the second. Denley’s efforts in the two shutouts earned her Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the first weekly award of her career.

“It’s a win … There are certainly things we need to do better than we did them tonight,” Head Coach Janet Rayfield said after the Illinois State game. “The quality of possession and of our ball movement is going to be really important for us moving forward.”

The Morehead State game showcased the Illini’s returning depth. Senior midfielders Summer Schafer and Alia Abu-Douleh scored the Illini’s two goals.

Against Illinois State, senior midfielder Allison Stucky scored the game’s lone goal midway through the first half.

The Illini’s efforts last weekend have them now receiving votes in the season’s first National Soccer Coach’s Association of America poll. They also rank 10th in the Great Lakes region.

Missouri started the season 1-1, beating Central Arkansas in a comeback win and falling to Iowa in overtime. The Tigers are led by head coach Bryan Blitz, the reigning SEC Coach of the Year. Last season Missouri finished second in the SEC, its best finish in the conference while allowing the fewest goals in program history. Many of the players who contributed last year have returned, with the Tigers bringing back eight starters.

Illinois will have to play a full 90 minutes against Mizzou. Against Illinois State, the Illini dominated the first half, but were outshot in the second and allowed the Redbirds a penalty kick. In the Tigers’ first win of the season, they went down 2-0 early but put up three unanswered goals in the second half.

Saint Louis opened the season last Friday with a 3-1 win against Kansas State. It outshot the Wildcats 24-7. The Billikens finished near the bottom of the Atlantic 10 conference last year, but they’ll bring back eight starters, including five seniors.

However, they may still be finding their way early on after losing their starting goalkeeper and leading scorer from 2015.

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