Offensive pressure and control of possession in the second half propelled Illinois (10-2-1, 3-2-1) past Maryland (6-7-0, 2-4-0), 2-1, for its third Big Ten win. Coming off a 0-3 loss to Ohio State last week, Illinois needed this win to regain momentum and build confidence going forward.
“We talk a lot about great teams finding a way to win,” said head coach Katie Hultin. “It takes learning and building for each and every mistake and opportunity. I think we gained a lot of confidence from this. We know we’re capable of finishing a game, and that’s a really good lesson to learn.”
First half struggles
Offensively, Illinois struggled to settle in during the first half. Throughout the season, the strategies that have made the Illini successful are controlling the pace of play and keeping the ball in their possession. Maryland instead forced the game to move quickly up and down the pitch. This kept the ball from staying in the Illini’s attacking third.
When the Terrapins had possession in their attacking third, they didn’t wait to put pressure on the Illini’s defense. In the 10th minute, redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Lee saved a shot from Maryland junior forward Lisa McIntyre.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
However, the ball bounced off Lee’s hands, and Maryland senior midfielder Ava Morales tapped the rebound into the back of the net to put Maryland up 1-0.
The Illini spent the rest of the half trying to even the score. Although Illinois took nine shots through 45 minutes of play, it still couldn’t convert. Sophomore forward Emma Yee was persistent as she tried to put pressure on Maryland’s defenders. Yee stayed active and took shots at the goal, but she couldn’t connect with the back of the net.
Second half success
Illinois was ready to change the narrative coming out of the locker room at halftime. Less than one minute in, senior forward Sarah Foley found herself in transition against two Maryland defenders. Foley beat both of them and crossed the ball to the left side, where Yee tapped it in to tie up the match.
“We reiterated belief and confidence,” Hultin said about her halftime message. “We knew we were the better team in the game. We just needed to believe it and continue to go at them.”
From there, the Illini forwards began to take advantage of their athletic superiority. They continuously attacked the Terrapins’ outside backs and took their shots at redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Faith Luckey. Staying patient worked in Illinois’ favor as it finally put itself ahead in the 84th minute. Sophomore forward Cayla Jackson scored in the bottom left corner of the net off the assist from sixth-year midfielder Sydney Stephens.
Plagued by turnovers
Both the Illini and the Terrapins had their fair share of turnovers during Sunday’s match. Especially in the first half, Maryland came at Illinois hard when it turned the ball over. But, as the Illini started to keep the ball in their possession more, the turnovers decreased.
While the Terrapins forced more turnovers from the Illini in the first half, the second half was the opposite. Maryland consistently turned the ball over in the midfield due to Illinois’ pressure. This helped Illinois stay in its attacking third for the majority of the half.
“I think we were able to force some turnovers pretty high up in the field,” Hultin said. “And that’s what gave us a lot of opportunity in the second half.”
Strong performances from both backlines
Illinois finished Sunday’s match with 23 shots and 11 shots on goal, a season high for the Illini. With such a high number of shots, Luckey was put to work.
While Luckey was No. 2 in the Big Ten in saves this season with 57, Maryland is close to last in the conference for goals allowed with 19. The Terrapins’ backline hasn’t been strong this year, but they put up a fight against the Illini. By deflecting and blocking Illinois’ shots at the net, Maryland’s backline took some pressure off Luckey.
The goalie also did well on her own against Illinois’ forward-heavy lineup. The redshirt sophomore had nine saves in the game and made tough plays in front of the net throughout the second half. Illinois didn’t get frustrated, though, as it scored both its goals in the second half despite Luckey’s phenomenal performance.
As for the Illini backline, they also played strongly from start to finish. Hultin complimented their defensive performances when the Maryland forwards got near the box.
“We knew that they would be really shifty and good with the ball at their feet,” Hultin said. “I think we did a really great job at moving our feet, being good individual defenders and protecting the goal.”
Coming up
Illinois returns to Demirjian Park on Thursday to face Rutgers (3-4-4, 1-4-1) for Women’s Empowerment and Most Valuable Professor night. The match begins at 7 p.m. CDT.
