Michigan
Illinois
Matchup with Illinois on Deck for Home Finale, Senior Day
10/18/2017 3:53:00 PM | Women's Soccer
» Michigan will host Illinois in its final home match of the 2017 season on Saturday (Oct. 21) at 7:30 p.m.
» Saturday's match marks U-M's Senior Day and the program will honor its seven seniors prior to the game.
» Reilly Martin leads Michigan with 15 points on five goals and five assists, including 12 points in Big Ten play.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, Oct. 21 – Illinois (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 7:30 p.m.
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• Game Day Information: U-M Soccer Stadium Information | Ticket Information
PROMOTIONS
• Illinois: Senior Night, U-M Faculty/Staff Appreciation, Giveaway: Free Popcorn [ more promotions ]
The University of Michigan women's soccer team (5-5-6, 2-4-3 B1G) will host Illinois (5-12-0, 2-7-0 Big Ten) in its regular-season home finale on Saturday (Oct. 21) at 7:30 p.m., inside U-M Soccer Stadium. Fans should be sure to arrive early as U-M's seven seniors will be honored on the field prior to the start of the game.
WOLVERINE BITES
• After playing four two-match weekends in a row, Michigan will have just one match this weekend for the second straight weekend. The Wolverines will wrap up the regular season on the road at Rutgers on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
• Michigan will honor its seven seniors prior to Saturday's match -- Alyssa Dillon, Emma Groffsky, Alyssa Herwatt, Megan Hinz, Sarah Jackson, Ani Sarkisian, and Rubina Veerakone. To date, that group has an overall record of 39-22-16, including a 29-4-9 mark at U-M Soccer Stadium. The class has helped the program finish in the top five of the Big Ten each season and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Last season, this class was instrumental in helping the Wolverines earn their best Big Ten start in program history, with five straight wins to start conference play.
• U-M came in at No. 46 in this week's NCAA Women's Soccer RPI. Through 16 games, the Wolverines have faced nine teams in the top 50 in RPI -- No. 1 South Carolina, No. 13 Penn State, No. 17 Ohio State, No. 19 Wake Forest, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 28 Santa Clara, No. 34 Wisconsin, No. 36 Washington and No. 47 Minnesota (current rankings, not at the time of the match). This week's opponent, Illinois, sits at No. 192. According to HERO Sports, Michigan ranks eighth in strength of schedule in the nation.
• Junior Reilly Martin leads Michigan with 15 points on five goals and five assists, recording 12 of those points during Big Ten play. She has had at least one point in six of Michigan's eight conference matches, including all five of her goals in Big Ten action. Freshman Sarah Stratigakis has 11 points on three goals and five assists, while senior/junior Taylor Timko has four goals and two assists.
• Sophomore Brooke Cilley returned to Michigan's starting lineup in its last game at Michigan State after missing six games due to injury. Cilley was U-M's starting center back in its first nine matches, recording five assists, which is tied for first on the team with Martin and Stratigakis.
• Michigan dropped a 2-1 match to Michigan State in its last outing despite outshooting the Spartans 32-10. It marked the first time Michigan attempted more than 30 shots in a match since Aug. 30, 2015, when U-M posted 33 against Detroit Mercy. Martin recorded U-M's lone goal in the sixth minute on an assist from freshman Nicki Hernandez.
• Michigan has allowed 17 goals through 16 games this season, for an average of 1.06 goals per game. The Wolverines have recorded four shutouts and held seven opponents to just one goal. Michigan is 3-4 in games decided by one goal this season. U-M has not given up more than two goals in a match this season, and the last time U-M gave up three goals was Oct. 6, 2016, at Illinois.
• Senior goalkeeper Sarah Jackson is tied for first in the Big Ten in saves per game, averaging 5.9 per outing, and is third in the conference in save percentage at .843. In 915 minutes of action, Jackson has allowed 11 goals, made 59 saves and contributed to two shutouts en route to a 1-3-4 record this season.
• Michigan has gone to overtime in seven matches this season, going 1-0-6 in those outings. In total, the Maize and Blue has played an additional 126 minutes of soccer this season, totaling nearly an extra match and a half. U-M has already tied a program record for most overtime matches in the regular season with seven (2003, 2006), while its six ties also match a program record (2003, 2006, 2007).
• Michigan is tied for 10th place in the Big Ten standings with nine points, along with Indiana. There are just two regular-season games remaining for all Big Ten teams, and the Big Ten Tournament is just around the corner. The Wolverines must win their next two matches to give them a chance to be one of the eight teams to qualify for the tournament. The Big Ten Tournament will begin with the quarterfinals on Sunday, Oct. 29, and will be hosted by the higher seeds in each match. The semifinals (Nov. 3) and finals (Nov. 5) will be held at Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
Scouting IllinoisÂ
Under the direction of 16th-year head coach Janet Rayfield, Illinois is 5-12-0, including 2-7-0 in Big Ten play. The Fighting Illini are tied for 12th place in the Big Ten Conference standings. Illinois has scored 13 goals this season, while giving up 31. The Illini are coming off back-to-back shutout losses to Wisconsin (1-0) and Minnesota (4-0) last weekend. Senior forward Kara Marbury leads the team in points with six and goals with three. Sophomore goalkeeper Jaelyn Cunningham (5-11-0) has all but one of Illinois' decisions and has 97 saves this season and a goals against average of 1.79.
Series vs. Illinois: Michigan has faced Illinois 24 times in program history and owns a 14-9-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Wolverines fell to the Fighting Illini, 3-0, in last year's meeting, which snapped Michigan's streak of three consecutive wins in the all-time series.
UP NEXT
Wednesday, Oct. 25 -- at Rutgers (Piscataway, N.J.), 4 p.m.
