The women's Illinois soccer team dropped another match on the road at Yurcak Field in Piscataway, New Jersey, to a solid Rutgers squad.
Rutgers led the Illini early with a goal in the 23rd minute by Riley Tiernan. But that lead didn't last very long. In the 26th minute, Sarah Foley would record her 10th goal of the season. Minutes later, the Scarlet Knights responded with a goal by Shaela Bradley to cap off the scoring for the remainder of the match.
Illinois put up a good fight against a quality squad, but falling behind in the first half seems to be one of the themes this season. However, there are signs of encouragement.
Junior Sara Foley will continue to grow as a goal scorer, and they have some quality underclass goal-scoring potential in Lauren Seppi and Lia Howard. Seppi, for her part, put two shots on goal during the contest, and Howard plays with a great deal of confidence. There were a few times during the match when Howard was able to impose her will and put Rutgers defenders on their heels.
One Sunday, October 27th, the Illini will wrap up the season against Northwestern, which sits close to the bottom of the Big Ten standings. The women in Orange and Blue will wrap up the season on their home pitch, which is always a good way to end a tough campaign.
Let's hope that the squad can take their experience from battling a good Rutgers team and transform that knowledge into a win in front of the home crowd.