In this closely contested match, Illinois soccer (4-2-1) ended its two-game losing streak on Sunday, leaving the state of Georgia victorious after a 3-2 win against the Mercer Bears (4-2-1).
Illinois kicked off with fervor, scoring within the first minute. Senior defender Angie Galo threw to wide-open freshman forward Clare Murray, who took an easy two touches to line up and drive the ball into goal from outside the box, recording her first collegiate goal. Lindsay Bell, redshirt junior Mercer goalie, tried to catch the shot, tracking the ball in, but couldn’t get a solid grip on it, giving Illinois an early 1-0 lead.
For the next 30 minutes, the Illini midfield overpowered the Bears, keeping them contained in their defensive half. Mercer tried to combat this by lobbing long crosses downfield to its quick attackers but had no luck for much of this half. An exhausting half-hour led senior defender Ella Karolak into a mistake, failing to clear a ball from Mercer sophomore defender Anna Bachman.
Karolak committed a handball inside the Illinois goal box, allowing Mercer a penalty opportunity. Mercer’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Larkin Thomason, converted the shot to equalize the game despite redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Lee diving the correct way.
The remaining 15 minutes continued with renewed energy, with both teams fighting to break the deadlock. Despite repeated efforts from both teams, including attempts by Illinois junior midfielder Lia Howard and Mercer freshman forward Karlie Dell, none managed to find the back of the net, sending the teams off at a draw at halftime. Both teams were even at the break with a goal, five shots on goal and four saves.
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The second half was filled with the same aggressive energy the opponents had left the pitch with, as Mercer attempted to address its shortcomings in the midfield to keep up with Illinois’ pace. Despite these adaptations, the scoring stalemate was finally broken by a through ball sent in by Murray which junior forward Sarah Foley got the first touch on. Toeing around a diving Bell and finishing uncontested, Foley put Illinois in front with the score at 2-1.
Mercer sought another equalizer, with junior defender Lena Dykes making several dangerous runs down the middle of the pitch and putting pressure on Illinois. However, the Illinois backline and Lee remained unbroken. The tides began to shift in the 77th minute when Mercer freshman defender Maggie Rollins slid in to cut off a run by Foley to give Illinois an energizing corner late in the game.
Howard sent a short pass to freshman Lauren Seppi, who connected it to Foley. In two smooth touches, Foley received the ball, turned towards goal and lobbed a shot into the upper right corner before the goalie could react, putting Illinois up 3-1. Moments later, Mercer was awarded its second penalty of the match and brought the match within a goal.
Despite continued efforts from the Mercer offense which were all stopped by Lee, the Bears were unable to equalize in the end, sealing the win for Illinois. The Illini will return to Champaign to begin their conference season on Thursday against Minnesota.
