In Friday’s conference-opener, both No. 16 Illinois (7-0-1) and Indiana (3-2-2) had a lot to fight for. The Illini played to preserve their now eight-game undefeated streak, while the Hoosiers aimed to turn around their luck on the road, which had been all losses going into Friday.
Despite the difference in records, neither the Illini nor the Hoosiers severely outplayed the other in the 0-0 draw. This outcome leaves Illinois undefeated and provides Indiana with its second-ranked draw.
“This definitely wasn’t a failure by any means,” said head coach Katie Hultin. “This is just going to fuel our fire. Feeling this way is a great way to grow. This is a great opportunity to reset.”
Another slow start
Illinois played fast to start its match against Valparaiso (3-4-1), but looked slow and disconnected early against Indiana. The first half of the game undeniably went in Indiana’s favor in terms of speed and team mobility. While the Hoosiers weren’t able to close on their shots, they were able to work the ball farther into the Illini’s half and keep it there.
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Indiana also controlled the early game defensively. Sophomore forward Emma Yee, senior forward Sarah Foley and sophomore forward Cayla Jackson all have the skill and first step to beat a tough defense, but Indiana kept them contained.
“There was a bit of disconnect in our final product,” Yee said. “But our numbers are there, our chances are there. It’ll come.”
When the second half came around, Illinois upped its pace and had better discipline.
“In the locker room convos, we kind of got on each other,” Yee said. “We know we can do better than what we showed in those first 45. We have belief in each other, and we came out with more energy in the second half.”
The final five minutes of play were strongly controlled by Illinois. It spent the final moments of the match aggressively dominating in Indiana’s defensive third. Despite not getting a shot off, this is the type of intensity that the team hopes to bring moving forward.
“That’s Illinois soccer,” Yee said. “That’s how we play. It took us a minute to get there, but that’s the soccer we’re used to playing, and we know what to do when we’re there.”
Keepers stepping up
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Lee was playing a heavy defensive role tonight. Often, the Hoosiers were able to put the ball over the top of the Illini defense, leaving senior defender Natasha Kim as the only field player anywhere near the ball. This left her in a dangerous one-on-one with Lee, but Lee was always able to clear the ball first.
While it certainly bolsters the Illini to have a solid backline and a defense-capable keeper, it appeared Lee was having to come out of the box a lot more often than she usually does.
“They were playing direct, so we needed her to play a little bit higher so we didn’t end up in a one v. one situation,” Hultin said of Lee’s role. “Her clearing the ball with her feet is a lot better than her having to go one-on-one with a player with her hands. It’s a different way that she’s gonna have to play when we play direct-style teams.”
On the other side, Indiana had been playing a two-keeper rotation between senior Dani Jacobson and graduate student Sally Rainey all season. Indiana didn’t seem keen to play back to its keeper as often as Illinois did, but Indiana seemed plenty confident in its goal-stopping abilities. The Hoosiers seemed especially trusting of Rainey, who closed the game out and recorded five saves, including four in the final five minutes. Her abilities gave Indiana the ability to fight until the end, despite not holding much possession in the final minutes.
Up next
The Illini head back on the road to take on the Oregon Ducks (2-5-1) at Papé Field on Thursday. Illinois has only faced Oregon once before. The Illini took their 2011 matchup in a 5-0 blowout, leaving a high bar for the current squad to meet.
