After losing back-to-back games on the road last week, Illinois (12-4-2, 5-4-2) broke the streak Sunday afternoon. It fought back in the second half for a 1-1 draw against Michigan (6-8-4, 3-4-4) in its Big Ten regular-season finale.
“I think the fact that we were able to claw our way back and find a way to score gives us some momentum,” said head coach Katie Hultin. “I think there are enough good moments today to help give us that momentum.”
The Illini had already secured a spot in the Big Ten tournament, but coming home with a result that wasn’t a loss was crucial going into the postseason later this week. With the tie, the Illini gained the momentum and confidence necessary to set themselves up for success in the tournament.
“I’m excited we get to keep playing,” Hultin said. “This team hasn’t been to the Big Ten tournament in a really long time, and they’ve always wanted to get there. I’m really excited we get the opportunity to play a little longer with this group of athletes.”
Michigan played for its season
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
At No. 11 in the Big Ten standings before Sunday’s matchup, Michigan needed a win to sneak into the Big Ten tournament. Out of the gate, the energy the Wolverines played with reflected that they weren’t ready for their season to be over quite yet.
With efficient goal scorers such as senior Sarah Foley and sophomores Emma Yee and Cayla Jackson on Illinois’ frontline, Michigan needed to keep Illinois out of its own attacking third. Applying pressure on the Illini before they reached the midfield proved successful for the Wolverines.
Because of Michigan’s high pressure, Illinois didn’t maintain possession of the ball as much as it had throughout the season. This limited the Illini’s shots and shots on goal to just seven and two in the contest, respectively.
In the first half, the ball remained in the midfield, and neither team found scoring opportunities for themselves. Michigan ended the first half with six shots and Illinois with three.
The second half proved differently, though. The Wolverines’ frontline was relentless in the box coming out of halftime. They took four shots within the first ten minutes of the half. This persistence proved successful. Michigan senior midfielder Jenna Lang scored the first goal of the match in the 53rd minute to put Michigan up 1-0.
Knowing that a win would be their only chance at securing a postseason spot, the Wolverines played further back into the Illini’s attacking third. The purpose of this was to limit Illinois’ scoring opportunities further than Michigan already had. Unfortunately for the Wolverines, this didn’t keep Jackson from scoring the game-tying goal in the 84th minute.
Illini fight through adversity
Following an evenly matched first half, Illinois found itself in a 1-0 hole early in the second. This wasn’t the first time this season the Illini needed to score to prevent a shutout, and their experience showed through their ability to stay engaged in the match. Illinois didn’t need the win to secure a place in the postseason tournament, but it didn’t settle for a loss.
Once Michigan scored its sole goal early, Illinois began to work its way into its attacking third. While the Illini didn’t get into as many possible scoring situations as usual, the extra boost of energy is exactly what they needed to stay in the game.
“We were struggling to connect passes in the midfield,” Hultin said. “So, we really needed our midfielders to be just a little bit more engaged in and around the ball, and that was going to help us.”
Finally getting closer to the goal is what helped Jackson score to tie the game up 1-1. This test will be good for Illinois to remember as it moves into tournament play. There may be times when the Illini are down a goal, and having time to look back on where they fought through adversity is necessary.
Illinois’ defense contains Michigan’s goal scorers
Alongside the Illinois frontline, Michigan also has two of the most efficient goal scorers in the Big Ten. Sophomore forward Elle Ervin had seven goals on the year, and junior forward Gabrielle Prych tallied six. The pair were key pieces in the Wolverines’ offense for the Illini to contain.
Illinois’ backline has been one of the main contributors to its overall success all season long, as it keeps improving game after game. Sunday was no different. As the Wolverines kept possession of the ball more than the Illini did, the backline was crucial to not letting up more than a single goal.
“I think (the Illini backline) were really relentless,” Hultin said. “They did a great job denying service and denying shots. They took some shots off the stomach, off the shoulder, everywhere, so they were just really relentless and brave and really collective.”
With Michigan outshooting Illinois 17-7, redshirt junior goalkeeper Izzy Lee was put to work. Lee didn’t disappoint as she had seven saves in the match and reached 102 on the season. This makes her now the fifth goalkeeper to reach 100-plus saves in a season in program history.
Postseason up next
With Sunday’s tie, Illinois will be the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten tournament. It will play in the first round Thursday against No. 8-seeded Ohio State (8-3-6, 4-2-5) at 4:30 p.m. EDT. The Illini will try to grab a win in this rematch after they fell to the Buckeyes 3-0 at Demirjian Park back in late September.
