NORMAL, Ill. – The Fighting Illini soccer team, fueled by an offensive frenzy from redshirt senior Hope Breslin and senior Makena Silber, defeated the Illinois State Redbirds 5-1 Sunday night in Normal. Illinois dominated the offensive front for the second game in a row, leading the Redbirds in goals (5-1), shots (25-9), shots on goal (9-5), and corners (9-4).
Hope Breslin recorded the first Illini hat trick since 2015 when Janelle Flaws scored three goals vs. Saint Louis. Makena Silber finished with a brace for the second time in her Illini career after previously scoring two goals against Colorado College in 2019.
Illinois came out firing to start the match, with Silber netting her first goal just six minutes into the contest. The Redbirds responded with a goal of their own in the 11th minute, but just three minutes later Hope Breslin intercepted a Redbird back pass and beat the goalkeeper to put Illinois up 2-1. Keeping the pressure on, Stephens in the 18th minute got on the end of a Breslin through ball and slipped the ball across the box to a charging Silber who tapped the ball into the goal for her brace. The game would go back and forth for the remainder of the half but the Illinois defense held strong and the Illini entered halftime with the 3-1 advantage.
Illinois continued to create opportunities to start the second half, earning three corner kicks to begin the period. Senior Lauren Stibich then passed a beautiful through ball to Breslin, who found the back of the net for her second goal of the game. Breslin wasn't done there, as just one minute later Silber's rocket shot was parried wide by the Redbird goalkeeper but Breslin was there to bury the rebound on the volley for her first career hat trick. The Illini backline held the Redbirds to just five shots and three corner kicks in the second half, and Illinois walked away from the in-state rivalry game with their second nonconference win of the season.
MATCH NOTES
- Redshirt senior Hope Breslin scored the first Illini hat trick since Janelle Flaws on Aug. 30, 2015 vs. Saint Louis.
- Hope Breslin recorded the first multi-goal match of her career.
- Senior Makena Silber tallied the second brace of her career, her first since she scored two vs. Colorado College on Sep. 15, 2019.
- Illinois' nine goals scored in two matches are the most over a two-match stretch since the Illini scored 10 goals vs. Northern Illinois (8) and Oklahoma State (2) in 2018.
UP NEXT
Illinois looks ahead to the grand opening of Demirjian Park on Thursday, Aug. 26 when the Illini take on third-ranked North Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 PM CT and will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network.
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