Despite achieving a road win in its last fixture, Illinois soccer was unable to beat Nebraska in Lincoln on Thursday night. The Illini suffered their sixth overall loss of the season and continue to sit in eighth place in the Big Ten standings.

The match kicked off with Illinois having early chances thanks to shots from redshirt senior midfielder Kendra Pasquale and sophomore midfielder Sydney Stephens. Pasquale came close to opening the scoring in the 27th minute. After receiving the ball from sophomore forward Maeve Jones, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week managed to find space and fire off a dangerous shot that missed just right of the goal. Pasquale struck home a similar attempt in Illinois’ recent 2-1 victory over Purdue.

The momentum began to shift in the latter portion of the first half, with Nebraska moving higher up the pitch. The Cornhuskers began to enjoy numerous opportunities on goal and forced a great save out of junior goalkeeper Julia Cili. A 28th-minute corner kick for Nebraska fell in front of Illinois’ net, but Cili’s lightning-quick reflexes kept a point-blank shot from going in.

The Illini found the breakthrough in the 39th minute after an incredible effort by junior forward Makala Woods. The super substitute entered the match and wasted little time in making an impact. After a great turn in the middle of the pitch, Woods drove down the middle, managed to dribble past two Cornhusker defenders in a row and buried the shot into the bottom left corner of the goal. The solo effort broke the stalemate and allowed the Illini to head into halftime with the lead. Illinois 1-0 Nebraska.

The Illini have struggled in the second halves of Big Ten matches recently, and Thursday night was no different. After coming out of the break with a defensive approach, Illinois was able to hold out against Nebraska’s attack to start. Cili came up big again in the 48th minute, stopping another Cornhusker attempt from close range that was created by a corner kick.

In the 57th minute, things began to unravel for the Illini, as another Cornhusker corner bounced into the box for Sarah Weber to head in. The equalizing goal took steam out of Illinois’ play and began a frustrating finish to the match for the visitors.

In the 67th minute, Weber played a low, well-placed ball into the Illini box that was redirected into the back of the net by midfielder Florence Belzile. Nebraska, despite now having the lead, wasn’t finished yet.

Forward Eleanor Dale would seal the match at the last second with a 90th-minute goal. After being played through thanks to an over-the-top ball by Belzile, Dale was able to stay in front of the Illini defense and fire a low shot past Cili and into the bottom left corner of the net. Final score: Illinois 1, Nebraska 3.

The Illini were unable to come away with any points on Thursday, and finish their recent road trip with a 1-1 record.

Illinois (7-6-2 overall, 2-4-1 B1G) will return to Champaign on Sunday to take on No. 20 Ohio State (9-2-3 overall, 4-1-2 B1G) for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Demirjian Park.

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