The last time Northwestern traveled to Champaign to play Illinois in 2017, the Wildcats lost 1-0 in what was considered a major upset. Much has changed between the last two seasons ago and Friday’s game, including most of NU’s roster.

A young Cats (2-5-1, 0-1 Big Ten) team fell 3-1 against the Fighting Illini (7-1, 1-0) in their Big Ten opener. Illinois scored the first three goals of the match — including two in the first fifteen minutes of the second half — to secure their second win in the last three games against NU.

Fighting Illini forward Kelly Maday scored the first goal of the game in the 13th minute, running down a long cross and chipping it over the Cats’ sophomore goalkeeper Mackenzie Wood. Midfielder Hope Breslin added to the lead with a goal early in the second half, finishing a through ball that reached her right in front of the net. Midfielder Arianna Veland added to the lead with a goal in the 60th minute, and the Cats couldn’t overcome the three goal deficit.

The Fighting Illini have come a long way since the 2017 season, when the team finished with only two conference wins. Illinois improved its in-conference record to above .500 last season and were slated to finish eighth in this season’s opening Big Ten Women’s Soccer Preseason poll.

The Cats have only three players left on the roster who started in the 2017 game, and the current team has struggled to create chances on its side of the field. NU possessed the ball in the box only 14 percent of the time, despite outshooting the Fighting Illini 11-7.

Junior midfielder Regan Steigleder made a penalty kick in the 80th minute, netting her first goal of the season. But with Illinois up two goals with ten minutes remaining, the Fighting Illini played conservatively the rest of the way and allowed just one more shot on goal.

Looking for the right combination of players, coach Michael Moynihan used eight substitutes, more than the typical number who see the field. Freshman Lily Gilbertson came off the bench and had two shots on goal, bringing energy to a team that has scored just once in its last three games.

Defender Taylor Hallmon, a graduate transfer who was expected to be a stabilizing force for the offense, missed her second consecutive game. As a difficult Big Ten schedule continues on, Moynihan kept rotating through options in the midfield and on defense to try to end the team’s recent slide.

Correction: A previous version of this story misreported the stats about the soccer team. The Daily regrets the error.

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