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Illini Travel to Northwestern For Finale
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Sophomore Marissa Mykines leads the Illini in shot attempts this season.
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Nov. 4, 2009
Week 12: Complete Illinois Match Notes (PDF) 
Game 19: ILLINOIS (7-8-3, 2-5-2 Big Ten) at NORTHWESTERN (6-10-2, 3-5-1)
Friday, Nov. 6 // 7 p.m. CT // Lakeside Field // Evanston, Ill.On The Air
Livestats: GameTracker linked on fightingillini.com
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For Openers
This year, Illinois is:
• 7-0-1 when scoring at least two goals
• 6-0-0 when leading at the half
• 6-0-1 when scoring first
Illini Travel to Northwestern For Finale
Illinois plays its final match of the regular season this Friday, traveling to Evanston, Ill. to face in-state rival Northwestern at 7 p.m. The season finale will mark the first game all year the Illini have played on turf, with the team expecting a lot of extra friends and family in attendance from the Chicago area.
Scouting Northwestern
The Wildcats stand at 3-5-1 in the Big Ten, coming off of a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to Wisconsin on Monday with the Badgers winning in the final minute. Northwestern has played all of the conference opponents close, with its worst Big Ten losses coming in 2-0 defeats to nationally ranked Ohio State and Penn State. The Wildcats have struggled offensively at times, averaging 0.78 goals per game, but have allowed one or fewer goals in four of their last five games. Up top, senior Alicia Herczeg leads the way with six goals on the year.
• Illinois-Northwestern Series: Illinois owns a 8-2-3 advantage over the Wildcats in the all-time series, with Northwestern winning last year's match-up. Last meeting: Northwestern 1, Illinois 0 (Sept. 28, 2008 in Evanston, Ill.).
Rayfield Gets 100th Career Victory
Head coach Janet Rayfield achieved a major milestone last Friday against Michigan State, as the win over the Spartans marked her 100th career victory at Illinois. Rayfield now has an Illini record of 100-60-15 (.614). She is already the winningest coach in school history, as she been at the helm of the Orange and Blue program for eight of its 13 years of existence.
Last Time Out
Illinois is coming off of a weekend of mixed results, with a convincing 5-0 victory over Michigan State last Friday followed by a disappointing 1-0 loss to Michigan on Sunday. Against the Spartans, the Illini got out to a quick start, leading 4-0 at halftime to cruise to the win. Ten different Illini scored a point in the rout, led by junior Laura Knutson's goal and assist. Alexandra Kapicka was solid in net with five saves as the team recorded its fourth shutout of the season.
On Sunday, Illinois owned a 21-4 shots advantage over Michigan, but couldn't find the back of the net. The Wolverines' scored the game-winner in the 74th in what was their only shot on goal in the match. In comparison, Illinois had 11 shots on goal, led by Marissa Mykines' four. The match marked the final home game for seniors Courtney Bell, Brittany Garrett, Chichi Nweke and Jackie Santacaterina.
Offensive Outburst
Illinois had its best offensive performance of the season in the 5-0 victory against Michigan State, with 10 different players picking up an offensive point. Jenna Carosio scored the game-winner, marking the first goal of her career. The other goals were scored by Laura Knutson, Niki Read, Christina Sahly and Cory Steigerwald as the Illini were dominant in the win. Senior Brittany Garrett assisted Carosio's game-winner on a cross, marking the first assist of her Illini career. Illinois' five goals marked its most since beating Iowa 6-0 on Oct. 7, 2007.
Senior Send-Off
The 2009 senior class of Courtney Bell, Brittany Garrett, Chichi Nweke and Jackie Santacaterina have already left an Illini legacy as they approach the end of their careers. Along with redshirt juniors Alexandra Kapicka and Christina Sahly, the class was ranked as the No. 9 recruiting class in the country in 2006 to mark head coach Janet Rayfield's top class in history. The seniors have a career record of 47-32-7 (.587) and helped the Illini to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2006 and 2008.
Masar Earns First U.S. Cap
Illini alum Ella Masar earned her first cap with the U.S. Women's National Team on Oct. 29, as she subbed into the U.S.-Germany match in the 73rd minute. The U.S. won the friendly 1-0 on a goal from Abby Wambach in a match-up between the top two teams in the world. Masar is now the first former Illini in program history to earn a national cap with the U.S.
Masar boasts previous international experience, as a past member of the U.S. U-23 and U-21 national teams. She has continued her soccer career with the Chicago Red Stars of Women's Professional Soccer.
Masar starred for the Illini from 2004-07, earning All-America honors in her junior and senior seasons. She was the 2006 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and earned first team All-Big Ten honors twice.
Illini Approach Top Attendance Mark
Illinois came close to having its highest attended season in program history, as a total of 7,075 fans came out to the Illinois Soccer Stadium for home games in 2009. Two of the top-20 crowds in school history occurred this year, as 2,347 came out for SoccerFest against Minnesota (No. 2 crowd in program history) and 971 came out to watch the Illini take on UCLA (No. 9 crowd in school history). The Orange and Blue's top attended season was 2006, with a total of 7,261 fans.
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 61 games she has played in her career and has played the entire match in 43 straight games.
Nweke Looks To Continue Climb
Forward Chichi Nweke has already made her mark in the Illinois record books, and looks to continue climbing the charts as her senior season comes to a close. Nweke currently ranks seventh in career points with 53, is tied for eighth in career goals (18) and tied for sixth in career assists (17). 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 and picked up her second assist of the season last weekend against Michigan State.
Academic Honor For Miller
Junior Krystin Miller was honored for her performance in the classroom last week, as she was named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District 5 Women's Soccer Team, receiving second team honors. She is a molecular and cellular biology major with a 3.89 GPA, earning Academic All-Big Ten honors as a sophomore last year.
Miller has stepped up to become a consistent presence in the Illini defense, as one of just four players to start every match this season. The Berkey, Ohio native is also a penalty kick specialist, converting her opportunities against Illinois State and Iowa to score the first two goals of her career.
Juice Gets Loose
Sophomore defender Julie Ewing, who goes by `Juice', has been Illinois' top offensive threat out of the back this season. Ewing picked up her third assist of the year against Michigan State, assisting the Illini's fifth goal of the game.
Earlier this year Ewing had a career game against Iowa, leading Illinois to a comeback win. First, she tied the match at 1-1 in the 27th, scoring her first career goal after finishing a cross from teammate Jackie Santacaterina. Then in the 42nd, Ewing made another run from the defense, sending a perfect cross to Laura Knutson to assist the game-winner. Ewing's three points in the match were a career-high. She has started all but one game this season at outside back, typically playing the entire match.
Knutson Comes Up Big
Junior Laura Knutson has become a sparkplug for the Illini this season, leading the team to victory last Friday with a goal and an assist against Michigan State in her first start of the year. Knutson was also instrumental in the win at Iowa, subbing into the match for the first time in the 39th and, scoring the game-winner minutes later in the 42nd. The Crystal Lake, Ill. native has made the most of her offensive chances the year, as four of her five shots this season have been on goal. Knutson started the season as an outside back, but moved back to her natural forward position midway through the year.
Heroic Hilbrands
Junior forward Jordan Hilbrands has had a breakout 2009, with six goals on the season to lead the Illini. When Hilbrands scores a goal, the Illini are 4-0-0. She has also been the most accurate Illini, as 60 percent of her shots have been on goal (18 of 30 attempts). The junior tallied her first assist of the season against Minnesota and has 13 points this year.
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
Mykines Stepping Up
Sophomore Marissa Mykines has become one of the most consistent Illini in 2009, 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. She leads the team and ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 50 shot attempts this season. Against Michigan, Mykines had a career-high eight shots, four of which were on goal. She most recently scored on a free kick against Indiana, marking the second time this season she has scored on a re-start. 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 11 points, more than doubling her point total from her freshman season. .
Illinois TV and Radio Broadcasts
Illinois soccer has received unprecedented exposure this season, with 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). The Illini played on the BTN for the third time this year last weekend, as their 5-0 win over Michigan State was aired tape-delayed. Earlier this year, Illinois' matches against Minnesota and at Penn State were aired live on the Big Ten Network.
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 two of the top three teams in the nation in No. 2 Portland and No. 3 UCLA. In total in 2009, the Illini have faced five teams that appear in the current top-25 and two more that are receiving votes.
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 were nationally ranked in the first five NSCAA polls and were the preseason pick to finish third in the Big Ten by the conference coaches.
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.
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, junior goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka was named to the 2008 Big Ten All-Tournament team.
