Illinois women’s soccer (6-5-2, 2-3-1) is now on a back-to-back winning streak, ending with a 2-1 victory against its long-time rival Purdue. The win swapped the standings of the two teams, moving Illinois to No. 10 in the Big Ten while Purdue fell to No. 12. In its 29th meeting, Illinois added another win to the two teams’ history. 

Purdue’s key offensive players demonstrated true speed this game. This speed came from players like senior midfielder/forward Abigail Roy and junior forward Chiara Singarella. Roy and Singarella used this to keep Illinois’ backline from being able to slow the game down and set up the field.

Early in the match, Singarella leveraged her pace to dispossess a defender, charging towards redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Lee for a one-on-one. Although Lee successfully blocked the shot, this run exposed a potential area of concern for the Illini early on: accurate, connecting passes to prevent picks from the offense. 

Illinois’ best chances were born from a network of quick, short passes downfield rather than solo runs. This strategy allowed the team to stretch the Purdue defense, leaving players open in the box to finish. 

Despite a slower start, halfway through the opening half, Illinois fully realized this strategy and gained confidence. Because of this, it took control of the game. The team played with composure deep in Purdue’s defending half and had many good looks at the goal. 

Around the 20-minute mark, junior forward Sarah Foley made a run towards the goal, supported by junior midfielder/forward Lia Howard and senior defender Ella Karolak. Karolak set up this dangerous run with a vital dispossession in the backfield. Then, handing it off to Howard, Karolak continued her run. Howard sent it to Foley, who drew out two defenders leaving Karolak open in the box. Karolak stayed composed, set up her shot and hit the ball well. But, sophomore goalkeeper Emily Edwards watched it and pushed the ball away from the net. 

This was the best example of Illinois’ network of passing in the game, despite not resulting in a goal. 

In the opener, Purdue struggled with consistent offense. The opponents failed to get well-positioned shots off due to heavy touches and ball control issues. Despite this, its one good look was successfully converted by senior forward Lexi Fraley. 

Many of Purdue’s offensive opportunities started in the backfield. Following a similar pattern, Boilermaker defenders pressured an Illini run into a turnover and then cleared it into the midfield. From there, the footwork and speed of their offense could carry the team into the attacking third.

This play was no different. Roy sent the ball over the heads of the defenders and capitalized on the Illini defense being pulled high and the aid from her speedy forwards. Fraley successfully beat out her defender, pulling Lee into another one-on-one, but won this time. This pushed the Boilermakers to an early lead over the Illini. 

The Illini began the second half with the same energy and comfort they had walked off the field with at halftime.

This energy was essential in how fifth-year midfielder Kennedy Berschel converted her goal, tying the game up. Purdue pulled Edwards out of the net to try to reset play and slow the pace. However, a miscalculated pass from a Purdue defender trying to move the ball forward was cut off by Berschel.

Then, Berschel handed it off to Howard, who took a card out of Foley’s earlier strategy. Howard pulled the defenders to her and left Berschel open to her right. Berschel took a low shot and it just snuck by Edwards. Once again, Purdue’s issues with pass connection came back to haunt them.

Twelve minutes remained and both teams made end-to-end runs, but the defenses put in the work to close them out. 

In the end, it was Illinois who finally converted one. Howard, in the 82nd minute, placed a high ball across the net and once again, Edwards could not prevent the goal. Howard pulled the Purdue defender into a one-on-one, using body feints to give herself just enough space to float one into the net. 

The remaining eight minutes were a fight from both sides to try to net another goal. For Illinois, this would just be for security, and for Purdue, it would be an equalizer. However, no more goals came and Illinois secured a two-game winning streak. 

Thursday, Illinois returns to Champaign with consecutive wins under its belt prior to its matchup against new Big Ten addition USC. 

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