Illinois soccer travels for road game against Nebraska, aims to continue Big Ten momentum
Sophomore defense Kendra Pasquale kicks the ball as Missouri attempts to block her during the game on Sept. 8.
October 13, 2022
Illinois soccer will be looking to start up a winning streak as it travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a Thursday night clash against Nebraska. The Illini currently sit in eighth place in the Big Ten standings with seven points.
Illinois had plenty of positive takeaways from its last outing, with the team earning its second conference victory in the last fixture: a 2-1 win over Purdue. Redshirt senior midfielder Kendra Pasquale scored both goals in the match and put on a star performance to lift the Illini over the Boilermakers.
One of Pasquale’s finishes on Sunday included a goal-of-the-season contender, with the midfielder unleashing a rocket from outside the box that buried itself into the upper right corner. The jaw-dropping strike was also the second-fastest goal in Illini program history, having been scored a mere 15 seconds into the game. Pasquale’s second goal came from the penalty spot and ended up deciding the match in favor of Illinois.
Now with some wind in their sails, the team still has a chance to finish out the rest of the conference games strong. Nebraska currently sits in sixth place in the standings and holds a 3-1-2 Big Ten record. The Cornhuskers are on a four-game winning streak and have not lost since Sept. 22 against the No. 9 Northwestern Wildcats. Nebraska managed to draw 2-2 against No. 16 Ohio State in its last match.
Thursday will be the 13th meeting between the Illini and the Cornhuskers. Although Nebraska triumphed in the last meeting, Illinois has had the edge historically, taking the all-time series with eight wins to Nebraska’s four.
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The Illini have been struggling in the goalscoring department in Big Ten play and will continue to look to Pasquale for production. The Naperville native, who leads Illinois in goals and game-winning goals, was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week following her performance against Purdue. Pasquale was the first Illini to earn this honor since Jannelle Flaws back in 2015 and will likely play a significant role against the Cornhuskers.
Illinois (7-5-2 overall, 2-3-1 B1G) will be searching for its eighth win in 2022 against Nebraska (5-4-5 overall, 3-1-2 B1G) on the road in Lincoln. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thursday night.
@james_kim15
