Chambana Sun

Illinois soccer will play two matches in its third week of the season, traveling to Columbia, Missouri to face the University of Missouri on Thursday, September 4 at 5 p.m. CT. The team will then return home to host Valparaiso at Demirjian Park in Champaign on Sunday, September 7 at 1 p.m. CT.

Sunday’s match against Valparaiso is designated as Senior Day for Illinois. The program will recognize six seniors: Sarah Foley, Lia Howard, Cailynn Junk, Izzy Lee, Ellen Persson and Ashley Stellon. Additionally, after the match there will be a "100 vs. Illini" event where 100 youth soccer players will participate in a scrimmage with the Illinois team.

The upcoming game against Missouri marks the 15th meeting between the two programs. Illinois trails in the series with five wins, seven losses and three draws. Their first encounter was on October 30, 1998; Illinois won that match 2-1 in Columbia. In their most recent meeting on August 22, 2024, they played to a 1-1 draw in Champaign. This season Missouri holds a record of two wins, two losses and one draw.

Valparaiso and Illinois have met twice before—once in September 1998 and again in September 1999—with Illinois winning both matches by shutout margins (3-0 and 4-0). This year Valparaiso enters with a record of two wins, two losses and one draw.

Illinois head coach Katie Hultin has led her team to a perfect start this season at five wins without defeat or draw—the first such start since 2004 for the program. She is only the second coach in program history to win her first five games as head coach.

Goalkeeper Izzy Lee has recorded four clean sheets over five appearances this season while making twenty-three saves; she now has ten career shutouts and has matched her single-season best from last year.

Sarah Foley and Cayla Jackson each lead Illinois with two goals apiece so far this season; both have scored game-winning goals. Ashley Stellon leads with three assists—all recorded last week—while Ellen Persson scored her first career game-winner against Kentucky on Sunday for her second collegiate goal overall.

Emma Yee netted her first goal of the current campaign—a penalty kick winner versus DePaul—which was also her second career goal. Freshmen Ashlyn Adams and Kyra Berman have each contributed an assist for their first collegiate points.