Oct. 8, 2009

Week 8: Complete Illinois Match Notes (PDF)

Game 13: WISCONSIN (6-5-2, 2-1-1 Big Ten) at ILLINOIS (5-4-3, 0-1-2)

The Series
Illinois owns a 9-5-0 advantage over Wisconsin in the all-time series and has won seven straight games against the Badgers.
Last meeting: Illinois 2, Wisconsin 1 (Sept. 26, 2008 in Madison, Wis.)

On The Air
Radio: LIVE on Illini Sports Network - WDWS AM 1400 (Brian Moline and Kristy Weeks)
Livestats: GameTracker on fightingillini.com

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For Openers
This year, Illinois is:
• 5-0-1 when scoring first
• 5-0-1 when scoring at least two goals
• 4-0-0 when Jordan Hilbrands scores
• 4-1-1 at Illinois Soccer Stadium

Illini Battle Badgers on Sunday
Illinois is still searching for its first Big Ten win in its lone game this weekend, hosting Wisconsin on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. at the Illinois Soccer Stadium. The Illini have won seven straight over Wisconsin to mark the longest winning streak the Orange and Blue have over a conference opponent. The last time Wisconsin beat Illinois was in 2002.

Scouting Wisconsin
Wisconsin is having a successful start to the Big Ten season, currently standing tied for second in the conference with a record of 2-1-1 after being the preseason pick to finish seventh. The Badgers opened the Big Ten season strong, tying No. 12 Purdue and beating Indiana before falling in overtime to Minnesota. Wisconsin also has a conference win over Iowa. Laurie Nosbusch leads the Badgers offensively with four goals on the year, all scored in the past three games.

Last Time Out
Illinois completed a tough conference road weekend last Sunday, falling 1-0 to No. 12 Purdue on Friday and then tying Indiana 1-1 in double overtime. Illinois played tough soccer against the Boilermakers, owning a 15-9 shots advantage and dominating possession, but struggled to find the back of the net. Purdue's Roya Akhavain scored the game-winner in the 45th minute, as the Illini's offensive attempts just missed and the team was shut out for just the second time all season. Sophomore Marissa Mykines provided much of Illinois' offense with six shots in the game.

The Orange and Blue played their third double overtime match of the season against Indiana, ending in a 1-1 tie. Both goals were scored in the opening minutes of the game, as Indiana's Devon Beach scored in the 9th minute and Mykines scored the equalizer in the 11th. Illinois thought it had the game won in the closing minutes of the first overtime, but Shayla Mutz's goal was called back because she was offsides. Alexandra Kapicka was solid in goal for the Illini, picking up four saves in 110 minutes.

Heroic Hilbrands
Junior forward Jordan Hilbrands has had a breakout 2009 thus far, with six goals on the season to lead the Illini and rank fifth in the Big Ten. When Hilbrands scores a goal, the Illini are 4-0-0. She has been consistently dangerous and accurate, as a remarkable 64 percent of her shots have been on goal (14 of 22 attempts). The junior tallied her first assist of the season against Minnesota and now has 13 points in 2009.

Hilbrands has had multiple goal games twice, scoring two goals apiece in Illinois' wins against UC Santa Barbara and #18 Colorado. After her performance against the Buffaloes, the Bexley, Ohio native was named a Primetime Performer of the Week by CollegeSoccer360.com. Heading into this year, Hilbrands had just two career goals.

Rock Solid Kot
Junior defender Danielle Kot is easily one of the most durable players on Illinois' roster, as she has not missed a minute of play since her freshman season. Kot has started at center back in all 55 games she has played in her career and has played the entire game in 37 straight games.

Kapicka One Of Illini Greats In Net
Senior goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka is becoming one of the top keepers in school history with just two seasons as the starter. Her career goals against average of 1.01 ranks second all-time behind Lindsey Carstens' career GAA of 0.94. Kapicka also has 12 career shutouts to rank third all-time at Illinois and has made 128 career saves to rank fourth in the history books.

Welcome Back
Senior captain Jackie Santacaterina made her first start of the season memorable, scoring Illinois' second goal of the game against Minnesota by stealing the ball from a defender and curling a shot to the far post for the fourth goal of her career. The midfielder missed the first three games of the season as she recovered from foot surgery, but showed she is back to full strength by playing 88 minutes against the Gophers and playing a total of 175 minutes in the games against No. 12 Purdue and Indiana.

Illinois In The Polls
Illinois was ranked as high as No. 11 by the NSCAA earlier this season, but dropped out of the top-25 after losing games against #2 Portland and Washington. The Illini are still receiving votes in the NSCAA poll as well as the Soccer Times poll and were hte preseason pick to finish third in the Big Ten by the conference coaches.

Illini Nearly Unbeatable At Home
Illini losses at the Illinois Soccer Stadium have become a rarity, with the Orange and Blue posting a home record of 41-6-4 (.843) beginning in 2004. The Orange and Blue have continued that trend in 2009, with a 4-1-1 home record and the only home loss coming in a 2-1 defeat to No. 9 UCLA. The last time Illinois lost more than one game at home was in 2003, with an Illinois Soccer Stadium record of 8-3-1. Its best season at home was 2004 when the team went 8-0-1.

Mykines Stepping Up
Sophomore Marissa Mykines has become one of the most consistent Illini in 2009, starting every match and playing the most minutes out of any midfielder. Mykines is proficient at creating her own offensive chances, as all four of her goals this season are unassisted. Most recently she scored on a free kick against Indiana, marking the second time this season she has scored on a re-start. Her goal on a free kick against Loyola-Chicago marked Illinois' first goal on a free kick in over two seasons. She also scored Illinois' lone goal against No. 2 Portland, marking just the second goal the Pilots had given up at that point in the season. The sophomore ranks second on the team with 10 points, already doubling her point total from her freshman season.

Fantastic Freshmen
Illinois' attack has gotten a big boost this season from a pair of freshmen, as Shayla Mutz and Niki Read have each shown dynamic flashes at forward.

Read was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 7 after tallying four points in the Illini's matches against No. 9 UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. The Lake Orion, Mich. native had the first assist of her career against the Bruins, then scored a goal and an assist against UC Santa Barbara. Read has made eight starts this year at forward, is third on the team in points (6) and second in shots (24).

Mutz made the most of her first career start against Milwaukee, scoring the first two goals of her career in Illinois' 3-1 win. The Homer Glen, Ill. native has gotten increased minutes as the season progresses, making four starts, and is tied for fourth on the team with five points.

Nweke Looks To Continue Climb
Forward Chichi Nweke has already made her mark in the Illinois offensive record books, and looks to continue climbing the charts in her senior season. Nweke currently ranks seventh in career points with 52, is tied for eighth in career goals (18) and tied for seventh in career assists (16). She also holds the school record for goals in a game with six other players, with a hat trick against Utah in her freshman season. The Virginia native scored her first goal of 2009 against No. 9 UCLA on Sept. 4.

Tough Slate
Illinois may have put together its toughest schedule ever under head coach Janet Rayfield with its 2009 list of opponents. Ten of the 19 teams the Illini will face this season made the 2008 NCAA Tournament field, including College Cup participant UCLA and Portland, which advanced to the Elite Eight. In the current NSCAA rankings, Illinois has faced three of the top-10 teams in the nation in No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Portland and No. 9 Purdue. In total in 2009, the Illini will face seven teams that appear in the top-25 or are receiving votes in the national poll.

Illinois TV and Radio Broadcasts
Illinois soccer will receive unprecedented exposure this season, with at least three games televised on the Big Ten Network and a total of nine games broadcast on WDWS AM 1400 (and also streamed on fightingillini.com). Most recently, the Illini's home game against Minnesota on Sept. 27 was televised live on the BTN. Below is a list of the remaining television and radio broadcasts:

Illinois on the Big Ten Network
Sunday, Oct. 25 at Penn State // LIVE
Friday, Oct. 30 vs. Michigan State // Delayed

Illinois on WDWS AM 1400
Sunday, Oct. 11 vs. Wisconsin // LIVE
Thursday, Oct. 22 vs. Ohio State // LIVE
Friday, Oct. 30 vs. Michigan State // Delayed
Sunday, Nov. 1 vs. Michigan // LIVE

All-Big Ten Performers Return
Six members of the 2009 Illini squad have earned Big Ten accolades in past seasons. Senior Jackie Santacaterina was named to the All-Big Ten second team in both 2007 and 2008, while junior Danielle Kot was an All-Big Ten second team selection last season. Senior Chichi Nweke was the 2006 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Freshman team the same season, while Kot, Laura Knutson and Cory Steigerwald were selected to the 2007 Big Ten All-Freshman team. Additionally, senior goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka was named to the 2008 Big Ten All-Tournament team.

Rayfield Coaches U.S. National Team
Head coach Janet Rayfield had a memorable July, as she served on the U.S. Women's National Team staff for its two matches against Canada on July 19 and 22. During that span, Rayfield served as an assistant under head coach Pia Sundhage, helping to train and evaluate the national team players. The U.S. won both matches against Canada 1-0.