Just a few weeks ago, an NCAA tournament bid seemed out of reach for a struggling Illinois soccer team.

After three straight losses to teams with equal or lesser records, the Illini needed answers. A blowout win at Nebraska then propelled them to a four-game winning streak and ultimately a bid to play in the 64-team tournament for the second straight season.

The Illini will travel to Columbia, Mo., to square off with Missouri in the first round Saturday. While they were unable to pull off an improbable Big Ten Tournament championship win, Illinois’ confidence is the highest it has been all season.

“I think the whole conference tournament, even the come-from-behind win against Michigan, if you look at the last four or five games, this team is believing,” head coach Janet Rayfield said. “They’re believing in their own ability to fight, they’re believing in their own ability to score goals against good teams. If you take those two things going forward, it means we’re going into this postseason with confidence.”

Rayfield added that the Illini are not overconfident to the point where they are underestimating opponents but that they believe in what they can do.

Missouri, though, is no easy adversary. The Illini played the Lady Tigers to a 1-1 tie in an exhibition match in Columbia last season. Missouri is not afraid to get in opponents’ faces, so Illinois needs to be prepared.

“The momentum, I think, is what we need going into the tournament. Teams that are hot right now end up doing better,” senior forward Niki Read said. “I think that’s really good for us going to Missouri, who’s a very big, physical team.”

Health has been one of the biggest reasons for the Illini’s turnaround in the past couple of weeks. Throughout the season, they have had nagging injuries that have kept them from being at full strength.

“Part of the reason the pieces are coming together is because we have the pieces of the puzzle, and we’ve been able to get those pieces and put them in some competitive situations,” Rayfield said. “There’s a melding of that unit now that we get to carry into this NCAA tournament.”

Rayfield said playing eight games without junior midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo as well as injuries to senior forward Shayla Mutz and freshman forward Nicole Breece were some things that held the Illini back this year.

With everything together now, Illinois needs to take advantage of its strengths.

“Obviously you’re going to have that anxiety of being in the tournament and wanting to win. A loss and you’re done,” junior forward Megan Pawloski said, “But at the same time, we need to be playing with composure and doing what we do best, and that’s possessing and going to goal.”

Charlie can be reached at [email protected].