UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Illinois soccer fell 5-0 to No. 17 Penn State (7-1-2) at Jeffrey Field on Sunday.
The Orange and Blue move to 6-4-1 on the season and went 1-1-0 on their first Big Ten road trip of the season.
The Nittany Lions scored just 30 seconds into the match and remained in control throughout the rest of the contest.
The Illini’s first shot attempt came in the 37th minute from Sydney Stephens, but her attempt from distance was hit straight at the keeper.
Penn State would double their lead in the 37th minute when Olivia Smith curled her effort into the side netting and the hosts would strike again in the 45th minute through Jill Jennings, taking a 3-0 lead into the break.
Illinois came out of the dressing room aggressively and pressed hard to get on the scoreboard. Abby Lynch forced a save in the 50th minute and she would later hit rifle a shot off the post in the 52nd minute, following some excellent link-up play from Julia Eichenbaum and Ashley Prell to create the chance.
The Nittany Lions would then add to their tally in the 58th minute and again in the 89th minute.
Julia Cili made 11 saves in the match, bringing her career total to 106. She is the eighth keeper in program history to record at least 100 saves in their Fighting Illini career.
Next Up
The Illini return home for a pair of matches at Demirjian Park, first with a matchup against Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 29, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT. They will then take on rival No. 9 Northwestern on Sunday, Oct. 2, with a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. That match will be broadcast on the Big Ten…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Illinois Athletics…