Illinois women’s soccer plays its final 2024 regular season game at home against Northwestern on Sunday. They recently finished up a two-game road trip at Indiana and then at Rutgers. Illinois defeated Indiana 1-0 and fell to Rutgers 1-2 three days later.
Going into the final game of the 2024 regular season for both teams, here are a few key things to know and watch going into this Sunday’s matchup.
History
Illinois has an edge over Northwestern in the overall series with a 14-10-4 record. However, the last time these two teams matched up, nobody came out on top. The in-state rivals ended in a scoreless draw. In 2021 and 2022, Illinois was shut out by Northwestern in each matchup, falling 0-4 and 0-1 respectively.
Home and away splits
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In terms of home and away records this season, there isn’t much advantage for Illinois to be on their home turf. The Illini have a similar home record (4-5-1) to the Wildcats’ away record (3-5-1). This means neither team has an advantage on paper at Demirjian Park.
While the Illini home record doesn’t necessarily show a home-field advantage, it’s the final match of the season and there’s plenty to play for as the offseason nears. A few Illini are playing their final game, and everyone wants to give the team an extra edge on rivalry Sunday.
Key players
In Illinois’ matchup against Rutgers, junior forward Sarah Foley recorded her 10th goal of the season, putting her at No. 5 in the Big Ten in goals this season. With the help of fifth-year midfielder Kennedy Berschel and junior midfielder Lia Howard, the Illini will start aggressively on offense.
An aggressive attack could throw Northwestern off guard. In a 0-1 loss to Michigan State, Northwestern had only three shots on goal. That’s half as many as Illinois had against Rutgers, showing the difference in style. Ball control will be critical for an Illini victory.
Keepers
In that match against Michigan State, Northwestern’s junior goalkeeper Reiley Fitzpatrick had a career-high in saves with eight. This was an impressive feat against a team that is No. 2 in the Big Ten in total goals this season. Fitzpatrick may create a challenge for the Illinois offense in this upcoming matchup.
Sticking with the goalkeepers, Illinois’ redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Lee can’t be kept out of the conversation. Lee currently leads the Big Ten in saves this season with 89 and is looking to increase that number come Sunday.
Illinois will take on Northwestern for the final game of the regular season Sunday at 1 p.m. This game will also be available on B1G+.
