University of Illinois
Wisconsin
Illinois Soccer Opens Big Ten Play at Home
September 8, 2026 | Soccer
PREVIEW
| WEEK 5: Illinois (3-0-3) vs. #14 Wisconsin (4-1-1) // Michigan (2-0-3) | |
|---|---|
| Match 7: Wisconsin | Thursday, Sept. 10 // 6 p.m. CT // Demirjian Park // Champaign, Ill. |
| Match 8: Michigan | Sunday, Sept. 13 // 11 p.m. CT // Demirjian Park // Champaign, Ill. |
| Watch | WISC // MICH |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Notes | Illinois // Wisconsin // Michigan |
| Shop | Online Store |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois soccer team is set to start Big Ten conference play this week at Demirjian Park. They open with No. 14 Wisconsin on Thursday (Sept. 10) at 6 p.m. and follow up with Michigan on Sunday (Sept. 13) at 1 p.m. CT.
The Illini are returning home from their first road trip of the weekend with a 2-0 record while also keeping clean sheets in both contests. They shut out Western Michigan on Sept. 3, 3-0, and Virginia Tech, 1-0, on Sept. 6. Izzy Lee has now made 26 saves on the season with a season high nine of them against Virginia Tech and has kept four clean sheets through nonconference play.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers are 4-1-1 to kick off the season including their massive win against No. 9 BYU on Aug. 19, scoring late in the second half for a 1-0 win in Madison. There's one common opponent between the Badgers and Illini being UIC. Wisconsin beat them 5-1 on Aug. 30, while Illinois tied them 0-0 on Aug. 23.
The all-time series between the two teams is 11-13-7 in Wisconsin's favor. The first matchup dates to Oct. 10, 1997, with a 4-0 win for Wisconsin, and the most recent contest was Sept. 19, 2024, that ended in a 2-2 tie, both matches were played in Madison.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines are 2-0-3 on the year so far with a 1-1 tie against No. 25 Notre Dame on Aug. 27. Michigan followed that matchup with a 1-0 win over Bowling Green in Ohio, and another win against Georgia Southern in Ann Arbor with the final score being 3-0.
Michigan has a jump on Illinois in terms of the all-time series record, being 10-18-2 in favor of Michigan. The two squads first met Oct. 17, 1997, with the Wolverines beating the Illini 9-1 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Their most recent matchups resulted in a 2-1 win for Illinois on Sept. 24, 2023, and a 1-1 tie on Oct. 26, 2025.
ILLINOIS NOTES
- Katie Hultin is the only head coach in program history to remain unbeaten through her first six matches in her first two seasons.
- Only head coach in program history to not lose a nonconference match in her first two seasons.
- Izzy Lee has made 26 saves with four clean sheets so far this season.
- She was named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 18, the first Illini keeper to earn this distinction since Sami Sample (March 16, 2021).
- Made a season-high nine saves against Virginia Tech on Sept. 6.
- Named Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept. 8.
- Cayla Jackson has three goals and an assist on the season to lead the team in points with seven.
- Ashlyn Adams leads the team in assists with three.
- Alyssa White has the second most assists on the team with two, both of them coming on Cayla Jackson goals.
- Hedda Ornberg has two goals and an assist on the year to have the second most points on the team with five. She scored the game winner against Cincinnati for her first goal as an Illini off the assists from Adams and Jackson.
- Ryleigh Wood scored her first career goal as an Illini in the 1-0 victory against Virginia Tech on Sept. 6.
- Ava Arengo and Gabriella Garcia-Terrell assisted on Wood's goal to both earn their first points as Illini.
- Sutton Webb named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8, first Illini to earn the distinction since Claire Wheatley on Oct. 11, 2016.
- Six new faces made their Illini debuts in the home opener against Georgia: Ava Arengo, Gabriella Garcia-Terrell, Kylie Marschall, Sophia McMillan, Hedda Ornberg and Alyssa White. While Abby Anderson and Avia Hughes made their debuts against UIC. Presli Houk made her Illini debut against Saint Louis and Ashleigh Vizek made her debut against Western Michigan.
- The 2026 Illini soccer season (3-0-3) is the only season in the program's history to have three ties in any four-match span. The program record for most ties in a season is four which was done twice, first in 2012 and most recently in 2022.
- The shutout of UIC on Aug. 23 was the 100th home shutout in Illinois soccer history.
- Illinois begins the season ranked No. 9 in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, up from No. 15 to start last season.
