A game that nearly ended scoreless for both Illinois (4-3-1, 0-1-0) and Minnesota (6-0-1, 1-0-0) took a dramatic turn in the 89th minute for the visiting team. Minnesota was awarded a penalty and capitalized to end the contest.
Despite the loss, there were standout performances on both sides of the pitch. For the Illini, sophomore midfielder Lia Howard was active in more than a few of the team’s scoring chances. She made multiple passes through the defense to her team’s attackers and also made a few runs of her own. However, none of Howard’s assists found the net, which left her scoresheet empty for this match.
“What Lia (Howard) did really well was making runs with conviction,” said head coach Janet Rayfield. “Her decisiveness in terms of moving and making something happen when she didn’t have the ball. I think those players that created things for us, created it without the ball.”
The midfield was critical this past Thursday to the performances of both teams. Both squads needed their midfield to be on top of playmaking and supporting the defense. Along with the defense, they held strong, which led to the game becoming an 89-minute dry spell, seeming to promise a draw. However, the Gophers took hold of an untimely penalty. Graduate student midfielder Sophia Boman successfully converted for the game-winner against redshirt sophomore Izzy Lee.
“We just need to be relentlessly dangerous; Lia (Howard) did a really good job of that,” Rayfield said. “We need to work from that and follow that lead.”
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Lee was also critical in the Illini’s near-draw opportunity. She made eight saves on 12 shots, which tied for the second most single-game saves of her career. This is Lee’s third consecutive game where she has made an impressive amount of saves. This streak began with eight saves against Georgia, setting her career-high. The following week against Mercer, Lee made nine saves, which put out a new record and kept Mercer from equalizing the game.
The Big Ten’s leading scorer (8G, 3A), senior forward Khyah Harper, played all 90 minutes and generated three shots on goal against the Illini. Harper frontlines an offense that is at its best when working in isolation against the defense which created its own set of challenges for Illinois.
“Individual defending was a huge focus in terms of making sure that you’re just stopping the ball and allowing a teammate to come and cover,” Rayfield said. “We never wanted to be isolated in those situations. And I thought really for most of the game, we did a really good job at that.”
Illinois was able to hold Minnesota to just 12 shots the entire game, as opposed to some of its most recent appearances where the team managed 19 and even 27 shots in one game. The Illini also kept the game incredibly low-scoring. Only one of the past six appearances prior to Minnesota playing Illinois had Minnesota finish with only one goal. The cracking down on defense and man coverage worked exceptionally well this game for the Illini.
Today would have given Illinois its second draw all season without that last-minute opportunity. Instead, the Illini head into their next conference game with a loss, but a valuable experience to pull from. Illinois will continue its conference season in Wisconsin this Thursday.
