Illinois soccer gets set to defend Demirjian Park against Iowa in fourth Big Ten match
Sophomore forward Maeve Jones slides into an Indiana opponent during their match up on Sept. 4. The Illini will be up against the Hawkeyes on Thursday.
September 29, 2022
After a rough visit to No. 17 Penn State, Illinois soccer will return home to welcome Iowa on Thursday as the team looks to rebound in the Big Ten conference. The Illini will be searching for their second Big Ten win of the season.
The previous week saw Illinois on the road for its entirety. The team split its matches with a dramatic 3-2 victory against Maryland in College Park last Thursday before suffering a 5-0 defeat to ranked Penn State last Sunday. While the Illini showed their resilience to complete a comeback against the Terrapins, they were simply outclassed against the Nittany Lions.
The Illini have a chance to respond after the mixed week and rebound in the conference against a struggling Hawkeyes team. Iowa is currently 3-5-3 overall and is yet to win a game in the Big Ten.
The Hawkeyes opened conference play with a 3-1 loss to the Wisconsin Badgers at home. However, Iowa then managed to draw 0-0 away in East Lansing against Michigan State. This is notable, as the Illini opened conference play at home against the Spartans but fell 3-0 following a dreadful second-half showing.
Most recently, however, Iowa lost 2-0 to Ohio State in Columbus. The Hawkeyes have not won a match in over two weeks, with their most recent triumph being a 6-0 away victory over the Northern Iowa Panthers on Sept. 11.
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Historically, it is the Illini who lead in the all-time series against the Hawkeyes, with a 15-11-1 record. However, Iowa has been more successful as of late, with Illinois only able to claim one victory in the two teams’ five latest matchups, with the rest being losses. The Illini and the Hawkeyes last met in 2021, where the former fell to the latter in a close 3-2 defeat away in Iowa City.
Overall, Illinois has a winning record this season when playing at Demirjian Park, though its recent form suggests the necessity of a top-tier performance in order to take down Iowa. The support of the Illini faithful will no doubt serve as a welcome bonus on Thursday after two consecutive Big Ten matches in hostile territory.
Illinois (6-4-1 overall, 1-2 B1G) will go to work against Iowa (3-5-3 overall, 0-2-1 B1G) on Thursday. The match will kick off at 7 p.m. at Demirjian Park.
@james_kim15
