Hailey Parungao Director of Soccer Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Hailey Parungao Director of Soccer Operations | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois soccer (3-1-1) saw its four-match unbeaten run to begin the season come to an end with a 2-1 defeat to Kentucky (5-0-0) today at Demirjian Park.
The Wildcats opened the scoring in the 29th minute and then doubled their lead on an own goal in the 54th minute.
Sarah Foley pulled one back for the Illini in the 61st minute, but the Orange and Blue could not find the equalizer in the final half hour of the match.
Offense was tough to come by in the opening 20 minutes of the contest, as both sides refused to yield ground in the midfield.
Kentucky had the first sight at goal in the 20th minute when an attacker looked to be through on goal, but Izzy Lee was quick off her line to make a save near the edge of the area to repel the attack.
In the 29th minute, the Wildcats opened the scoring on a quick counterattack and Illinois found themselves trailing in a match for the first time this season.
Illinois' best chance of the opening 45 came in the 32nd minute when Ella Karolak picked out Mia Gildea from a corner kick, but Gildea turned her header wide of the post.
The Fighting Illini went into halftime holding a 5-3 advantage in total shots and had a 3-1 edge in corners.
Kentucky nearly doubled their lead in the 52nd minute on a shot from distance, but Lee made a spectacular diving save at full stretch to keep Illinois within a goal. Two minutes later, however, Kentucky extended their lead on an own goal to make it 2-0.
The Illini began pressing for an immediate response and found one in the 61st minute. Regan Moody was first to a loose ball in the area and poked it into Sarah Foley's path. Foley hit it first-time into the bottom-left corner of the goal to make it 2-1. It was Foley's third goal of the season, leading her team.
The final 30 minutes featured a hotly contested midfield battle as neither side yielded any clear-cut scoring opportunities, with Kentucky holding on for a 2-1 victory over Illinois.
The Fighting Illini will be back in action on Thursday (Sept. 5), for their first road match of this season when they head to Georgia to take on No. 24 Georgia. Kickoff from Turner Soccer Complex is set for 5:30 p.m. CT.
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