Chambana Sun

Illinois soccer is set to embark on its first road trip of the season, facing Georgia and Mercer in the Peach State. The matches are scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT in Athens against Georgia and Sunday at 1 p.m. CT in Macon against Mercer.

The 2024 season marks the 28th year for Illinois soccer, under head coach Janet Rayfield's leadership for the past 23 seasons. The team holds an overall record of 286-218-47 (.562).

In their last outing, Illinois suffered its first defeat of the season, falling 2-1 to Kentucky on August 31 at Demirjian Park. Sarah Foley scored her third goal of the season, but it was not enough to overcome Kentucky's early lead.

Illinois has a historical edge over Georgia with a 1-0-0 all-time record from their only previous encounter in September 2003. Georgia enters this match with a record of 1-2-2 and recently drew with No. 1 Florida State before losing to Central Florida.

Mercer will face Illinois for the first time ever on Sunday. The Bears have started their season strong with a 4-1-1 record and remain unbeaten at Betts Stadium.

Key players for Illinois include Sarah Foley, who leads the team with three goals this season, and Izzy Lee, who has recorded two clean sheets and boasts an .818 save percentage.

Notably, redshirt freshman forward Regan Moody was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after scoring two goals during the second matchweek. Additionally, sophomore defender Mya Archibald has been selected for Canada's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup roster.

Head coach Janet Rayfield commented on her new recruits: "This class is a diverse group of winners... Their collective competitive mentality will help us enter the new Big Ten conference poised to compete and expecting to win."

Following these matches in Georgia, Illinois will continue its season against several ranked opponents as they aim to build on their performance from last year.