Minnesota leads with strong attack, Illinois soccer falls 5-0
The Illinois soccer team stand on the sidelines for the national anthem during the game against Wisconsin on Oct. 8. The Illini fell 5-0 against Minnesota tonight to their strong leading attack.
October 14, 2021
A late game in Minneapolis ended with Minnesota dominating and earning a 5-0 win against Illinois.
The Gophers started off on the front foot early putting tons of pressure on the Illini.
In the 12th minute, Patricia Ward took a strong shot outside of the box forcing Julia Cili to make a diving save.
Three minutes later, Sophia Boman had a crack at the net and her attempt smacked off the crossbar.
Minnesota’s offensive efforts paid off, and the first goal of the game occurred in the 19th minute. McKenna Buisman got on the end of some miscommunication in the back, and although Cili tried to clear, Buisman blocked the clearance to put her on the path to an open net.
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The Gophers weren’t giving up just yet, and in the 30th minute they scored once again. Buisman, this time pressured Eileen Murphy into a mistake and was successful leading her score in Cili’s bottom right corner.
With six minutes to go in the first half, the Gophers scored yet again. Megan Gray laid it off for Mackenzie Langdok, and her shot blasted past Cili off the crossbar.
Just minutes before the end of the first half a corner kick from the Gopher’s caused some chaos in the box. Boman’s shot was blocked by Cili and landed right in the path of Rylan Baker. He was in the right place and blasted it from close range to nail in the fourth goal.
After the second half, Illinois came out a much more improved team on the field. Big change for Illinois was that Naomi Jackson was subbed in for Cili to play the second half.
The Illini were able to get into the Gopher’s defensive end a little bit more easily, with Makena Silber, Hope Breslin and Sydney Stephens having a go at goal.
However, their finishing still struggled as shots went straight to the keeper, but they played with pride up until the very last minute.
Like the Gopher’s, they were also playing up until the last minute regardless of their four goals on the scoreboard.
Minnesota head coach Erin Chastain put some rookies in toward the end of the match, and they fed off the energy from the veterans.
Right as the match was wrapping up, Aynsley Conner shot the ball from a tight angle. Jackson made the save, but it wasn’t enough, and the ball bounced off the post into the net in the 88th minute.
Coming up next for Illinois will be another road game, this time in Iowa to face the Hawkeyes.
@AngelleCortes
