After defeating Maryland Sunday, Illinois (10-2-1, 3-2-1) is back on the winning track going into the last five games of the season. Illinois will begin the end of its regular season by facing Rutgers (3-4-4, 1-4-1) at Demirjian Park Thursday, and the schedule doesn’t let up from there. This is the time of the year that head coach Katie Hultin and her team have prepared for. Here are three players who could be the key to Illinois’ success in finishing the regular season.
Izzy Lee
Illinois’ impressive record this season is greatly due to junior goalkeeper Izzy Lee’s ability in front of the net. In just two seasons of collegiate soccer, Lee quickly improved year to year. The redshirt junior has eight clean sheets this year so far, while she only had four across the entire 2024 season. Additionally, Lee only conceded one goal through the first nine games of 2025.
Standing at 6 feet tall, Lee’s height and length in the goal are a huge advantage for the Illini in terms of shot-stopping. When Illinois defeated Penn State Sept. 25, Lee recorded a career-high in saves with 10 against Penn State’s 13 shots on goal in the contest. She is currently No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 8 nationally in saves with 63.
Although Lee is one of the top goalies in the nation, she has struggled recently. Lee gave three goals each to Penn State and Ohio State, her most all season. However, Lee got back on track Sunday with only one goal conceded early to Maryland.
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Illinois will need Lee at her best in its upcoming matchups with Purdue and No. 18 Michigan State. The Spartans are No. 1 in the Big Ten in goals, and the Boilermakers are No. 1 in shots on target. Lee’s shot blocking will be crucial in both of these matches.
Lia Howard
For the entirety of her collegiate career, senior forward Lia Howard has been an Illini. She has seen the program through its ups and downs over the years, now adapting to a new coaching staff in her senior year. While the path to Illinois’ history-making record hasn’t been linear, it is a culmination of years of work.
“We have Janet Rayfield’s foundation, and we have a new coaching staff’s newness,” Howard said. “It is new minds, new attitudes, new style of soccer, and just all of that whole combination is why we are so successful right now.”
Howard has stepped up in big ways during the most critical moments for the Illini. At home against Penn State, the senior scored her second and third goals of the year to contribute to Illinois’ 4-3 victory. She hasn’t scored any goals since then, but is still putting herself in positions to take shots and make plays for her teammates.
As sophomore forward Emma Yee and senior forward Sarah Foley are tied for No. 4 in the Big Ten in goals, teams may start targeting them more in their defensive schemes. This should create more open shot opportunities for Howard. Just as she did against Penn State, she shouldn’t shy away from the clutch moments and be ready to convert.
Ellen Persson
No one on the Illinois roster has played more minutes this season than senior defender Ellen Persson. The senior is currently No. 9 in the Big Ten in minutes played with 1,141.7. Similar to Howard, Persson has played her entire college career at Illinois. Her experience has been evident in the backline this season. The Illini have only given up 10 goals as a team this year.
Besides Persson, the two other defenders with the most minutes this season are freshman Téa Mayson and sophomore Mia Gildea. As they are both underclassmen, Persson’s leadership and experience will be huge as the Illini try to continue their success in the final five games of the regular season.
As Illinois will face multiple teams that take plenty of shots, the backline’s ability to take the pressure off Lee in the box is crucial. Persson and the rest of the Illinois defenders have done a decent job this season with this, but it is even more important facing the strong offensive teams coming up.
