What started out as any other game day for the Illinois soccer team turned into an incredible test of character. 

After losing 4-1 to Notre Dame on Friday, Illinois fell behind to Louisville — a team they had never lost to in school history. Facing the stench of a disappointing opening weekend, the Illini battled back to win a nail-biter by a score of 5-4 in overtime at the Cardinal Park Stadium in Louisville, Ky., showing the fighting spirit head coach Janet Rayfield alluded to before the season began. 

“The scoreline pretty much tells the story,” Rayfield said. “Offensively, we did some of the things we wanted to do today. Today and the weekend overall, I think we have to shore up some things defensively. We gave up a few goals easily, so we have to go back and look at that.”

The Illini struck early, with a goal 13 minutes in from junior forward Jannelle Flaws. The lead was immediately erased as Louisville pulled back just one minute later to even the score.

After a spell of dominance from the hosting Cardinals, forward Charlyn Corral added to her team’s tally. Illinois freshman goalie Claire Wheatley had pulled off two stops but was unable to prevent Corral from tapping in her own rebound in the 25th minute. The score remained at 2-1 until halftime.

Illinois emerged for the second half with more attacking intensity. Their tenacity was rewarded in the 50th minute when sophomore forward Nicole Breece capped a flowing move by the Illini on a breakaway. The celebration was again short-lived, as a Corral penalty kick gave Louisville back the lead in the 51st minute.

The Illini remained undeterred and continued attacking until they found the back of the net through senior midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo in the 55th minute. Illinois regained the lead they had held for just one minute earlier in the game on a corner kick that appeared to sail right in the goal. The goal was initially awarded to the set-piece taker DiBernardo, but with closer inspection, it was rightfully given to sophomore midfielder Anastasia Medellin, who got a flick on it. Even with a goal and an assist to her name, DiBernardo was unsatisfied with her performance.

“As a team, we’re doing a lot better,” DiBernardo said. “We’re learning from our mistakes in games and making changes. I could have done a little bit better today. I gave up balls and possession which I don’t normally do. I think I have room for improvement as well as our team.”

This time, Illinois was able to hold on to this lead for longer than a minute. The game remained evenly matched in every sense except for the goals tally. This was until the 88th minute, when Cardinals’ substitute forward Christine Exeter pulled her team back on level terms.

The score remained tied and the game went into overtime, which lasted just eight and a half minutes. Freshman midfielder Meegan Johnston, who had come on as a 30th minute substitute for Flaws, found the back of the net from another Illinois breakaway.

The weekend highlighted some defensive issues for Illinois. The starting keeper position was a battle until the first game. While conceding eight goals is a red flag, it is for a reason different from what you might think. Coach Rayfield doesn’t want just one player made the scapegoat in this situation.

“We have to look at our team as a whole, not just the goalkeeper,” Rayfield said. “You can look at some of the saves she made, and she made some world-class saves in terms of college goalkeeping. It was a rough experience for her, her first weekend in goal, but I think it was a rough weekend for us defensively as a team. Does this put the (goalkeeper) race back into question? I think it puts our defensive team into question a little bit, and that is certainly something we will try to solve this week.”

Lanre can be reached at [email protected] and @WriterLanre.