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Girls soccer: Illineks get back on winning track with 3-0 victory over Judah Christian
Sophomore Joy Shapley (No. 16) keeps the ball in play during Uni's 3-0 conference win Saturday against Judah Christian. In the second half, Shapley scored her fourth goal of the season. Uni will face Decatur Lutheran for the East Central Illinois Conference title Monday at DCR Fields. (Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)
By Michael Belmont & Gargoyle sports staff
Posted Sunday, May 6, 2007, The OG, girls soccer & sports
Junior Chelsea Freeland displays some acrobatic
moves as she controls the ball against Judah.
(Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)
URBANA — The Illineks improved their undefeated East Central Illinois Conference record to 3-0-1 Saturday with a 3-0 win over Judah Christian.
Uni dominated the game and created plenty of great scoring opportunities that they didn't capitalize on.
Despite the misses, junior forward Suran Yoo was able to score twice in the first half to give the team a comfortable lead at the break. Yoo now has a team-leading 5 goals.
Yoo's first score came 5 minutes into the game and was unassisted. Freshman Isaure Hostetter assisted on the next score, which came 19 minutes later.
Sophomore forward Joy Shapley added a goal with 15:03 left in the second half to ensure the victory. Freshman Liz Allen assisted on the score, Shapley's fourth of the year.
Senior goalkeeper Mandy Grill recorded her fourth shutout of the season, exceeding the three she recorded last year.
Thanks to the defensive work of senior Amelia Breault and sophomores Jessi Sullivan and Annie Machesky, Grill didn't have to make many saves this time around — in fact, the official count credited Judah Christian with only 1 shot the entire contest.
Uni, meanwhile, consistently put pressure on the visiting Tribe. The Illineks recorded 15 shots in the first half, 6 on goal. In the second half they took 6 shots, 5 on goal.
“At the beginning of the season, we had problems sending the ball long,” head coach Phil Anders said. “I liked the pressure we had up top today.”
GAME AT A GLANCE
- Score: Uni 3, Judah Christian 0
- Varsity record: 5-7-1 overall, 3-0-1 ECIC
- Summary: The Illineks ended their scoring drought with two goals by Suran Yoo and one by Joy Shapley. Uni can win the ECIC title with a victory Monday over Decatur Lutheran.
- Next game: vs. Decatur Lutheran, 4:30 p.m. Monday, May 7, DCR Fields
Anders gave extensive playing time to several younger players who haven't been among the varsity regulars, such as Hostetter and Allen.
“Liz Allen has good speed out there,” Anders said. “Isaure has a good foot for controlling the ball.”
Among the things he liked about the win was how Uni's defenders shut down the Judah Christian offense.
“Jessi Sullivan, our sweeper, and Annie Machesky and Amelia Breault are working as a team,” he said.
With the victory, the Illineks improve to 5-7-2 overall with two games remaining in the regular season.
Saturday's contest marked the end of a mini-scoring drought for the Illineks. They had gone two straight matches without a goal, losing 6-0 to Danville on Tuesday and 3-0 to Warrensburg-Latham on Thursday.
Such dry spells have been relatively rare this year, especially compared to 2006, when the team was shut out in 12 of its 15 losses. That compares to four shutout losses this season.
In 19 games, last year's team scored 16 goals (including 7 in one game). This year, with 14 games played, the Illineks have netted 17 goals. The scoring has been spread among six players: Yoo (5), Shapley (4), freshman Erika Belmont (4), junior Sarah Pfander (2), junior Chelsea Freeland (1), and freshman Michelle Wong (1).
The team plays its last conference match Monday when it hosts Decatur Lutheran, the defending ECIC champs. Should Uni win, it would be guaranteed the ECIC title outright.
Uni faced the Lady Lions twice last year, losing 2-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
In both games Decatur Lutheran went on the attack, forcing Grill to make 25 saves in the first match and 24 saves in the second.
The varsity will end its regular season Wednesday at home against the Champaign Central JV.
The playoffs will begin Friday, when Uni hosts Monticello. The game will be played at Field 9 in the DCR complex, according to Anders.
The Illineks are assigned to the Williamsville Class A sectional, where they are seeded eighth out of 10 teams, ahead of Monticello and Judah Christian.
The girls tied Monticello 2-2 on April 5. If the Illineks defeat the Sages, they would visit top-seeded Williamsville on May 14.
According to Anders, the key is to get past that first round.
“Today Urbana beat Charleston 5-1,” he noted on Saturday. “Urbana is the next-to-last seed in their sectional, and Charleston is the first seed. If we play Williamsville, anything can happen.”
A Judah Christian player finds herself pinned in by junior Suran Yoo (No. 2), freshman Michelle Wong (No. 3), and freshman Erika Belmont (No. 12). (Gargoyle photo) (click to enlarge)
VARSITY RECORD: 5-7-2 overall, 3-0-1 East Central Illinois Conference
(Games at DCR Fields are in bold)
Season Preview: Illineks look for improvement as season begins today
March 28: St. Thomas More, L 2-1
— Illinek scoring recap: Michelle Wong (penalty kick, first half)
— story: Uni drops season opener
March 30: Centennial, L 3-0
— Illinek scoring recap: no goals
— story: History is repeated in 3-0 loss to Centennial
April 3: Urbana, game canceled because of wet field conditions (will not be rescheduled)
April 5: at Monticello, T 2-2
— Illinek scoring recap: Erika Belmont (first half); Joy Shapley (second half)
— story: Illineks come back to tie Monticello
April 10: at Charleston, L 7-1
— Illinek scoring recap: Erika Belmont (first half)
— story: Close game turns into lopsided loss to Charleston
April 12: Macon Meridian, W 1-0
— Illinek scoring recap: Sarah Pfander (second half)
— story: Pfander's goal lifts Uni over Meridian for first win
April 14: Normal Calvary Baptist, W 3-2 *
— Illinek scoring recap: Suran Yoo (2 goals, both first half); Sarah Pfander (first half)
— story: Illineks ignore rain, mud to win second straight
April 17: St. Thomas More, L 4-1
— Illinek scoring recap: Suran Yoo (second half)
— story: Illineks fall again to St. Thomas More
April 19: Decatur Christian, W 3-0 *
— Illinek scoring recap: Erika Belmont (second half); Joy Shapley (second half); Chelsea Freeland (second half)
— story: Uni shuts out Decatur Christian
April 24: at Mahomet-Seymour, L 2-0
— Illinek scoring recap: no goals
— story: Illineks fall to Mahomet-Seymour 2-0
April 26: Mattoon, W 1-0
— Illinek scoring recap: Erika Belmont (first half)
— story: Uni downs Mattoon in lightning-shortened game
April 28: at Normal Calvary Baptist, T 1-1 *
— Illinek scoring recap: Joy Shapley (second half)
— story: Uni ties Calvary Baptist in road match
May 1: at Danville, L 6-0
— Illinek scoring recap: no goals
— story: Danville defeats visiting Illineks 6-0
May 3: at Warrensburg-Latham, L 3-0
— Illinek scoring recap: no goals
— story: May 3 game: Uni loses to Warrensburg-Latham in second consecutive shutout
May 5: Judah Christian, W 3-0 *
— Illinek scoring recap: Suran Yoo (2 goals, both in first half); Joy Shapley (second half)
— story: see above
*East Central Illinois Conference opponent
Remaining games: see schedule
