Rutgers women’s soccer was defeated 2-0 by Illinois on Thursday night at Demirjian Park in Champaign. The Scarlet Knights, now with a record of 3-5-4 overall and 1-5-1 in conference play, could not recover after conceding two late first-half goals to the Fighting Illini, who improved to 11-2-1 overall and 4-2-1 in conference.
In the opening minutes, Rutgers created early pressure with two corner kicks but was unable to score. Throughout the rest of the first half, both teams traded opportunities. Rutgers forced three saves from the Illinois goalkeeper before Illinois broke through in the 39th minute with a goal from a through ball. Less than half a minute later, an Illinois player converted a penalty kick following a foul in the box, giving them a 2-0 lead at halftime.
During the second half, Rutgers increased its offensive efforts and produced seven shots on goal. However, all attempts were stopped by the Illinois keeper, allowing Illinois to maintain the shutout. Overall, Rutgers finished with 10 shots on goal; Ashley Baran accounted for seven of those attempts. Goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer made four saves for Rutgers during the match, bringing her career total to 199.
Rutgers will conclude its weekend road trip with a match at Northwestern scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m.
