Starting games with a strong tempo is an issue that has followed Illinois (11-2-1, 4-2-1) all season. The few times that the Illini have managed to do so, they still struggled to capitalize on opportunities and to remain intense through the second half.
Thursday night was different. The Illini set a speedy tone offensively and defensively. They applied relentless pressure to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (3-5-4, 1-5-1) defense, forcing them to keep the ball moving. Illinois also nicely transitioned between a tight midfield game and playing out wide in the open space.
Under pressure
Sophomore forward Cayla Jackson was a big factor in Illinois’ ability to prevent Rutgers from slowing the game down in their defensive third. She stayed high and consistently put pressure on the keeper to give up the ball quickly. This prevented Rutgers from establishing more control.
“We knew they were trying to play through their right center back a lot,” said head coach Katie Hultin. “We have the personnel between Cayla Jackson, Syd Stephens and Lia (Howard) to make their centerbacks uncomfortable. Their press made the game much easier for us.”
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Jackson’s pressure also disrupted Rutgers’ ability to play out of the back as efficiently as Illinois. This was a huge benefit for the Illini, who dominated the transition playstyle of the night.
“We knew that the weakside and going wide would be open in transition,” Hultin said. “It’s a matter of regaining the ball, driving, drawing players and looking to play wide off the opposite side.”
Fast pace early
Illinois cemented the match in its favor late in the first half. The Illini went up 1-0 with less than 10 minutes on the clock. Sixth-year midfielder Sydney Stephens put away a nicely timed nearside shot. While Illinois had already been playing an electric game, the goal lifted the team’s energy to a new level.
Their pace to finish out the opening half was just as intense, but much more focused than the Illini had started the game with. In the first few minutes, they struggled to connect passes to their teammates’ feet. By the end of the half, they had ironed out these issues and their passes were much smoother, sharper and on target.
“We joked at halftime that it was a two-faced first half,” Stephens said. “The game started one way and ended another. When we start to play the way we know how to play and execute on those things, we grow our confidence, which allows us to sink into what the game calls for.”
Both teams played at a pretty even level to start the game, so it was clear when Illinois settled in and outplayed its opponent. The Illini played a cleaner, more connected passing game than the Scarlet Knights. The Illini also had more possession time and could move the ball more efficiently down the field. Despite taking fewer shots, Illinois’ attempts were of higher quality and came with more conviction than Rutgers’ did.
Strong defense combats Rutgers’ physicality
The Scarlet Knights played with a contact-heavy style. In this match, they racked up 13 fouls to the Illini’s six. While some of the fouls can be attributed to Rutgers’ style, others came from the chaos Illinois created by disrupting their rhythm.
Capitalising on Rutgers’ physicality won Illinois its crucial second goal. Not even a full minute after Stephens put one in the back of the net, senior forward Lia Howard won a foul in the box. The team elected senior defender Ellen Persson for the honor, and she nailed it to put the team up two.
“She’s cool, calm and collected when it comes to PKs,” Hultin said about Persson. “We knew she was going to be able to put it away.”
While Illinois was effective in forcing Rutgers’ contact into fouls, the visitors were well-versed in using their bodies to win offensively.
“They had a strong frontline,” Persson said. “We tried to communicate well so that we could pass off players. We had good cover, and we did well denying them shots.”
Rutgers is a fairly efficient shooting team, averaging 11.3 shots per game with 45% on target. Illinois held them to 12 shots with 10 on target. Redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Lee collected all 10 shots, adding to her single-season shutout record.
Next up
Illinois plays its final home game Sunday against long-time rival Purdue (5-7-3, 2-4-1). A win would allow the Illini to head out on their season-closing road trip on a high.
