Illinois soccer snapped a three-match winless run with a 2-1 victory over Purdue (3-9-1) at Folk Field. It was the first-ever win by the Illini in West Lafayette.
The Orange and Blue move to 7-5-2 on the season and are now 2-3-1 in Big Ten play this season.
“To regroup this week and come in to West Lafayette and get the first win here in program history says a lot about the resilience of this team,” head coach Janet Rayfield said. “Today was a better full 90 minutes and our midfield accepted the challenge we game them at half time and they really stepped up in the second half.”
“We need to build on this and stay focused on each day. We still have another level in us.”
Just moments after the Boilermakers kicked off to start the match, Kendra Pasquale won a tackle in midfield to gain possession and dribbled into space outside of the area and floated her left-footed shot into the top corner, giving Illinois the lead after just 15 seconds, the second-fastest goal to start a match in program history.
The Illini nearly doubled their lead in the seventh minute, when Pasquale played Maeve Jones through on goal with a perfectly weighted ball over the top, but the striker was put off just as she got her shot away and it was saved by the Boilermaker keeper.
The hosts would equalize in the 14th minute with a bit of luck, as Ella Karolak’s clearance inside the area inadvertently struck a Purdue attacker and the loose ball fell to Gabby Hollar, who fired her shot first-time into the net.
After a quick flurry of a goals, neither side came close to finding a breakthrough until the 40th minute when Pasquale came close to doubling her tally from a free-kick delivery from Sydney Stephens, but her effort went wide of the post.
The teams went into the break all square at 1-1, firing a combined 21 shots, but both sides put two shots on target a piece.
Illinois started the second half on the front foot, winning two early corners, but were unable to create any clear-cut chances from the set pieces.
The early pressure would pay off for the Illini in the 59th minute, when they were awarded a penalty kick after Jones was brought down in the box after turning past a defender. Pasquale assumed spot-kick duties and sent the Purdue keeper the wrong way to put Illinois in front. It was the first time since Feb. 25, 2021, vs. Iowa, that Pasquale scored two goals in a single match.
After the visitors took the lead, they shut the door defensively, allowing just one shot on goal over the remaining 31 minutes of the contest. Eileen Murphy put on a brilliant performance, in a more advanced position on the pitch, down the stretch, controlling the tempo for the Illini in the attacking third and not allowing Purdue to break in transition offensively.
Next Up
The Illini remain on the road next week, as they head to Lincoln to take on Nebraska on Thursday, Oct. 13, before returning to Demirjian Park on Sunday, Oct. 23, to take on No. 16 Ohio State.
