Chambana Sun

The University of Illinois Fighting Illini women's soccer team will conclude its regular season with a match against the University of Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, October 26. The game is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at U-M Soccer Stadium in Ann Arbor.

Illinois enters the final game of the regular season with a record of 12-4-1 overall and 5-4-1 in conference play. This marks the most wins for the program since the 2011 team finished with 17 victories.

Michigan leads the all-time series between the two teams, holding an 18-10-1 advantage. In Ann Arbor, Michigan has won 11 out of 13 matches against Illinois. The last meeting resulted in a win for Illinois, who defeated Michigan 2-1 in Champaign on September 24, 2023.

Michigan's key players include sophomore forward Elle Ervin, who has scored seven goals and made two assists this season. Freshman Adi Walick leads the team with seven assists and is ranked second in that category within the Big Ten Conference. Michigan tends to increase its offensive output in the second half of games, scoring most of their goals after halftime.

For Illinois, Sarah Foley and Cayla Jackson are among the top point scorers in the Big Ten, ranking seventh and eleventh respectively. Head coach Katie Hultin set a new program record by starting her debut season at Illinois with seven consecutive wins and remaining unbeaten through nine matches. "She's the only head coach in program history to win her first seven games in her debut season and not concede a match in her first nine games." Hultin also secured her first ranked victory against No. 18 Penn State on September 25.

Goalkeeper Izzy Lee has recorded nine shutouts this year across seventeen appearances and leads the Big Ten in that statistic. Her nine clean sheets tie her for fourth-most single-season shutouts in program history. Lee is approaching additional career milestones as she continues to add to her total saves this season.

Sarah Foley leads Illinois with seven goals and seventeen points this year, including a hat trick against Valparaiso on September 7—the first by an Illini player since Hope Breslin achieved one in 2021. Foley also ranks third in game-winning goals within the conference.

Cayla Jackson has six goals and three assists so far this season while Emma Yee follows closely with six goals as well. Other notable contributors include Lia Howard, Ashley Stellon—who leads with four assists—Sydney Stephens, Ashlyn Adams, and Kyra Berman.

The outcome of Sunday's match will determine both teams' positions heading into postseason play.