Illinois (4-5, 0-2) is on the road once again after a brief stop in Champaign. On Sunday, the Illini will take on Indiana (7-2-1, 1-1-0) in Bloomington in hopes of getting their first win in the Big Ten. 

Thursday night’s game against Purdue ended in heartbreak for a second time, as they came up just short of one goal. 

The Boilermakers scored the first goal after a mistake in the box, and then Angie Galo nodded in an own goal. 

Illinois came back with Hope Breslin, but the goal was called back for offside. However, Breslin had a second chance with a penalty kick, and although she missed the shot, she scored on the rebound. 

The Illini couldn’t get the equalizer and the Boilermakers kept the game at 2-1.

Head coach Janet Rayfield said the team is close to where they want to be, but what stands in their way is the difficulty of taking the last step and committing to it.  

“When you talk about excellence, it’s one percent better so we’ve got to make decisions one percent faster; our shooting needs to be that much more accurate,” Rayfield said after Thursday night’s loss. “You can’t have shots going all over the goal and into the hands of a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper. You gotta be able to put those on the ground and be able to find people in the box.”  

Another step that Illinois needs to take is its finishing. Although scoring a total of 18 goals with three games being won with four or more goals, that finishing hasn’t translated into Big Ten play. 

The Illini have been getting into the attacking third, but not doing it as well as they should. Finishing wise, the shots are there, but the struggle is being able to put it on frame and past goalkeepers. 

Looking past the negatives, there are positives for Illinois after last game. Naomi Jackson still had a great performance even though she made young, freshman mistakes. Eileen Murphy found her footing in a new position, and parts of the attack looked promising.  

“I thought our back line is solidifying itself in a way that I liked,” Rayfield said. “I think our one-v-one and getting to the end line was good. We just have to find someone in the box when we do that and turn that in-line opportunity into more goal production.”   

Looking ahead to Sunday, Illinois will need to be better in the attacking third, stop losing the ball in midfield and put shots on frame. 

For Indiana, the Hoosiers are 1-1-0 in conference play and most recently took a 2-0 win against Iowa. Their first game, however, didn’t see much luck, as they fell to Michigan State, 1-0. 

Some Indiana players to look out for include junior Sarah Webber and freshman Jordyn Levy, who have scored four goals apiece. Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Gerstenberg is also on the list and has played nearly every minute in the net, only allowing a mere three goals.

@AngelleCortes  

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