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Oct. 13, 2006

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Ella Masar scored No. 24 Illinois' first goal and assisted on its third as the Illini shut out Michigan State 3-0 in front of 134 fans at Old College Field. The Orange and Blue got its biggest bench contribution of the season as Chichi Nweke and Jessica Bayne each scored goals, and five reserves played more than 15 minutes apiece.

"It was a great day for our bench to show that the training they've been doing since the season started has paid off," Illinois coach Janet Rayfield said. "They stepped on and we didn't miss a beat."

After playing what Rayfield called "pretty ugly" soccer in the first 30 minutes of the match, Masar gave the Illini (9-5-0 overall, 5-1-0 in the Big Ten) a shot in the arm when she stripped a Michigan State defender, streaked down the center of the field and knocked in the match's first goal at 25:18.

"Ella strips their back, goes to goal and gets one, and we got to relax a little," Rayfield said. "We weren't playing that well, but when we get our shots on frame and finish, it makes it easier and easier to play well."

Less than 10 minutes after Masar's goal, Nweke found the back of the net off a feed from Kara Gostisha. Gostisha stepped in and swiped an attempted serve out of the Illinois attacking third of the field, then found Nweke, who was out on the flank. Nweke mirrored her goal against Penn State, bending the ball inside the near post from just inside the 18-yard box on the right side at 34:14 to give the Illini a 2-0 halftime lead.

In the second period, Illinois was able to adjust to the cool, damp conditions that allowed the ball to skip along the turf, out-shooting the Spartans 8-2 and putting in a goal in the 72nd minute. Kristy Weeks served a ball wide to Masar, who won a race to the end line and played it back to Bayne, who was 12 yards out in front of the net. Bayne then put the ball into the left corner of the net for the final 3-0 margin.

But the story of the match was Illinois' contribution from players not usually in the lineup because of injuries throughout the Illini line-up. Sophomore Jamie Alvis started the first match of her career and played all 90 minutes, rotating between center back and outside back. Freshman Brittany Garrett saw 50 minutes of action, both as a forward and outside back. In addition, junior Shannon McDonnell gave the Illini 30 solid minutes.

"We got a great contribution from our bench," Rayfield said. "Our depth is so good that we're pretty confident in them stepping on the field. It's that time of year when you have little niggling injuries, so we needed them."

Goalkeeper Lindsey Carstens registered her fifth shutout of the season, making four saves, including one "shutout-saving" stop, as Rayfield put it. Because of the wet turf, the ball skipped high off a cross, but Carstens beat a Spartan forward to the ball and made the save at the post to preserve the shutout.

Up Next: No. 24 Illinois continues its road trip with a noon (CT) match at Michigan on Sunday. The Illini split two meetings with the Wolverines a year ago, winning 3-2 in Champaign and falling 2-1 in the Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor.