Illinois (6-0) and Missouri (2-2-1) played a fairly balanced opening half on Thursday, with both teams scoreless at halftime. After the break, the Illini turned the game around. Senior forward Lia Howard and sophomore forward Emma Yee each scored in the 2-0 shutout win.
It was redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Izzy Lee’s fifth shutout of the season — a new career high.
Foley leads attack
Senior forward Sarah Foley was a true offensive leader early in the win. In the 11th minute, she received a ball out wide from sophomore forward Cayla Jackson. Foley controlled the ball, beat her defender with a touch into space and drove toward the goal line. After she drew in four Tigers, the forward threaded the ball to Yee in the middle of the box. The Missouri goaltender then blocked the shot, but this play showed Foley’s ability to draw defensive attention.
Foley’s speed, first touch and awareness for making heads-up plays made her a constant threat all over the pitch. Missouri adjusted early on, prioritizing shutting down inside cuts and forcing her to feed the ball in with 50/50 crosses. Head coach Katie Hultin switched Foley from the right to counter these defensive adjustments, and she continued to shake loose her defenders. In the final 10 minutes, she made another solo run from the midfield down the sideline. She crossed into the box to freshman forward Ryleigh Wood, who sent it just wide of the net.
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Foley also made her presence known defensively. Just before halftime, Missouri sophomore forward Mia Devrouax made an open run on Illinois’ left side. Senior midfielder Keegan Good had the ball in the middle of the pitch with her head up to make the pass, which could have put the Tigers ahead. She hesitated for one touch too long, giving Foley enough time to dart in and rip the ball away, keeping the game even.
As a senior, Foley’s leadership is vital for the program’s newcomers. Given the freedom to use her quick first step to drive the offense, Illinois should remain difficult to contain all season.
Second-half surge seals win
The Illini entered the second half with renewed energy. They flipped the Tigers’ opening strategy onto them, pressuring their backline into turnovers and not allowing them to set up.
The pressure paid off quickly. Before two minutes had passed, Yee finessed her way through the midfield and slipped a pass to Howard, who buried the game-winner with her left foot. Soon after, Illinois disrupted a Missouri throw-in, which put the ball back into the feet of Yee. She once again utilized her speed and ball-handling to force her way through traffic to the top of the box. Yee drilled the shot into the nearside top corner, putting Illinois up two.
After catching the Missouri defense off-guard twice, Illinois had a two-goal cushion to defend for the final 30 minutes. The team slowed their pace to a more defense-heavy approach. Missouri made things interesting with four near-goals in the closing minutes, but Illinois still came away with its sixth consecutive win.
Moving forward, Illinois needs to stretch its aggressiveness across the full 90 minutes. Though it worked this time, relying on second-half bursts is unsustainable, even with Foley and Yee capable of making game-changing solo runs. By setting the tempo early, they can get a leg up in the game and control the pace better throughout the match.
Coming up
Illinois will return home to Demirjian Park on Sunday at 1 p.m. to face Valparaiso (2-3-1). The Illini will push to match the program’s best season-opening record, while the Beacons look to bounce back after a shutout loss.
