Illinois (7-0-0), back in Champaign after three road games, hosted Valparaiso (2-4-1) for its Senior Day. The Illini celebrated with a dominant 6-0 win, highlighted by senior forward Sarah Foley’s hat trick.
The shutout victory gave redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Lee another clean sheet on her record. Senior forward Lia Howard was also a force to be reckoned with in the midfield, playing a role in multiple scoring plays and restricting Valparaiso’s possessions.
Valparaiso played undisciplined offense and defense for the full 90 minutes, allowing Illinois to run away with the game. The Illini spent much of the match inside the Beacons’ own box. Before halftime, Illinois had racked up four goals with relative ease.
A quick start
Less than one minute into play, Foley netted her third goal of the season from a defensive mistake. The ball pinballed off multiple players before bouncing toward Foley, who simply lifted her foot and pushed the ball to the far side of the net, well out of the keeper’s reach. As the game progressed, this goal proved to be the nail in the coffin for Valparaiso’s confidence.
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The Beacons started the game with three defenders, hoping to meet the Illini in the midfield and push the game up to their forwards. For this playstyle to work, Valparaiso’s backline needed to be much cleaner. The defenders needed to connect more passes and work quickly to move the ball away from their goal. Illinois saw this weakness and prevented the visiting defense from developing anything out of the back.
Controlling the midfield
While Howard’s name was absent from the stat sheet, she was a noticeable factor in the development of Illinois’ attacking plays. She locked down the midfield, breaking up Valparaiso passes and turning them quickly into offensive chances the other way.
Howard shut down developing plays for the Beacons and navigated crowded space with ease. She had her head up, searching for open Illini and made multiple connections to Foley and sophomore forward Cayla Jackson to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Valparaiso’s sloppiness kept the team behind
On the other side, Valparaiso never looked as connected and controlled as Illinois. The hosts pressured its backline early on and were immediately rewarded with a goal from one of its top scorers.
In attempts to mimic the Illini’s offensive success, the Beacons often tried to force the ball forward instead of waiting to develop good chances. The Illini, conversely, waited for plays to develop before working the ball forward. This was a direct result of their dominance in midfield, giving their defense the space and time to move the ball in Illinois’ defensive third without risking lost possessions. When Valparaiso tried the same thing, Illinois rushed its defenders into turnovers.
Junior forward Tatum Coleman’s speed and ball control gave the Beacons their best looks. Coleman is one of the Beacons’ fastest players, but even she struggled to beat the disciplined defense of Illinois. Valparaiso’s best and only chance came in the 75th minute when sophomore defender/forward Landyn Wessels broke free and fired a low shot that sophomore goalkeeper Peyton Rhodes stopped.
In the 84th minute of the game, Valparaiso gave up a late penalty kick when the game was already out of control. Howard, the Illini’s designated penalty taker, placed it low and to the right but lacked the power to convert. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Kate Sheridan stretched out and made the easy save. This was yet another defensive breakdown that nearly handed Illinois an unnecessary late-game goal.
Next up: Big Ten play begins
Illinois has successfully matched the program’s best start for the first time in over 20 years. It closed its pre-conference run with a perfect opening record. Friday presents the opportunity to nab the new record with a win against Illinois’ border rivals: Indiana (3-2-1).
The Illini host the Hoosiers on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at Demirjian Park. Illinois boasts an all-time winning record over Indiana, 15-9-4, including last year’s faceoff. In that game, Foley scored the game’s lone goal. If she continues her dominant shooting streak, the senior could seal the game again.
On Indiana’s side, the team just tied a top-25 opponent in No. 24 Xavier (3-2-1) on Thursday. The Hoosiers scored two goals across three shots over the match. To counter this, the Illini will need to focus on keeping the Hoosiers out of shooting range and limiting open looks since they’ve proven they can convert.
