The Illinois soccer team will wrap up the regular season on Friday, hosting a No. 11 ranked Wisconsin team who sits at 15-2-1 (9-2-1 Big Ten) and is all but assured a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Illinois, on the other hand, will look to win the game against a high scoring Wisconsin team that has scored 36 goals so far this season, averaging two goals per game. Illinois itself has managed to score a total of 32 goals through 18 games so far this season, just four fewer than the Badgers. Still, the Illini are seventh in the Big Ten despite leading the conference in total shots with 274, and ranking among the top five in six other categories, which include: goals (32, T-4th), assists (26, 5th) and shutouts (7, T-5th).

The Illini squeaked through to postseason play over the weekend, claiming a spot in the eight-team Big Ten tournament with a little help from last year’s Big Ten Tournament champs, Nebraska. The Illini were dropping points like flies as the season progressed after a promising start that saw them peak at No. 19 in the NCAA rankings. Going forward, head coach Janet Rayfield and the team will be taking it game-by-game, with a healthy squad at hand. They will look to do some damage control to keep their NCAA Tournament dreams alive.

“We have to focus on Wisconsin,” Rayfield said.  “That’s a big game. Certainly they’ve proven themselves as a top team in the country, so competing against them will certainly give us a barometer of just how good soccer are we really playing, because this is going to be a really good team that comes in on Friday.”

Friday marks the last time seniors Megan Green and Noelle Leary will play under the Illinois Soccer Stadium lights as they will be honored on this Senior Night.

Illinois, with a win or a tie against Wisconsin or a tie or loss by Maryland, will become the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. A Maryland victory and an Illinois loss would make the Illini the No. 8 seed.

Despite making the tournament by the skin on their nails, junior midfielder Reagan Robishaw and her teammates will look to prove once and for all that their early season form was not a fluke as they look for a season defining victory on Friday.

“It’s really important for us to realize that we are blessed with the opportunity that, through other circumstances, we made it to the Big Ten Tournament,” Robishaw said. “It’s just even more fuel to our fire that we have to go out there and get that win on Friday.”

Eliseo is a sophomore in FAA. He can be reached at [email protected].