Illinois soccer’s best season in more than a decade abruptly came to an end.
No. 7 Memphis sent home N0. 10 Illinois in a 2-1 win for the Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night
in Tennessee.
Finishing with a 13-6-2 record, the Fighting Illini were able to turn heads with their record-breaking season.
The Memphis Tigers held the lead for the start of the first half, with Illinois attempting to catch up. Sydney Stephens was able to tie the game after rebounding Cayla Jackson’s shot, giving Illinois a fighting chance to stay in the game.
But the Tigers won a penalty kick before the end of the first half, which brought them to their 2-1 lead. Illinois was not able to make a comeback.
While the Illini had 5 saves and the Tigers only had 3, Memphis dominated with 17 shots compared to Illinois’ 6, which put the team in a tough position to score. Only half of the Illini’s 6 shots were in the second half; their momentum had already started to fizzle out after their first goal.
However, the Fighting Illini didn’t walk off the field with hanging heads but instead looking forward to the upcoming season. In preparation, head coach Katie Hultin has already signed seven new recruits for 2026.
Stat stuffers
- Izzy Lee ended her season with 123 saves.
- Illinois racked up 11 fouls during the match.
- Emma Yee led the team with 2 shots on goal.
Sound smart
- The last match against Memphis was in 2008, where Illinois won in double overtime.
- Illinois was able to make it to the Sweet Sixteen during their last tournament appearance in 2013.
- The Illini won two Big Ten Championships back in 2003 and 2011.
