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| Illinois' season got off to a rocky start this weekend at College of Dupage. The Illini opened with a match against Lakeland College(OH). Lakeland gained a quick one goal lead but Illinois answered with a goal by Ryan Stotts off a Jeremy Etzkorn corner kick. Despite controlling much of the match, a ten minute let down in the second half allowed Lakeland to net three quick goals. Tyson Masar scored a late goal but it was not enough as Illinois conceeded the 4-2 loss. The next match against Essex College(NJ), proved to be another tough encounter. Essex jumped out early from an own goal but Illinois equalized with a goal from Stotts off a Joe Donat cross. Essex then answered with a late first half goal. The remainder of the match saw Illinois controling the pace but squandering many chances and in the end they could not draw even and lost the match 2-1. The Illini hope to get back on track next weekend when they begin their regular season against Iowa 9/1/02 |
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| CONTACTS Team: jjburch@uiuc.edu Website: stotts@uiuc.edu |
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| Last Updated: 12/05/02 |
| NIRSA POWER RANKINGS 1. Indiana 2. Illinois 3. Michigan 4. Wright State 5. Toledo |
| NATIONAL TOURNAMENT GROUP PLAY: Illinois 0 - Colorado State 0 Illinois 1 - Texas 0 Illinois 2 - Arizona 2 QUARTERFINALS: Illinois 2 - BYU 6 MORE INFORMATION: |
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| Illini drop two at COD tournament |
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| MASC WEST DIVISION 1. Illinois 2. Indiana 3. Southern Illinois 4. Purdue 5. Northwestern |
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| Despite high hopes, the FIghting Illini were only able to come away from last weekend in Dayton with a 1-1-1 record. The campaign started strong with a narrow victory over first time opponents University of Cincinnati with goals from Tyson Masar, Ryan Stotts and Nick Zaccagnini. The second match on Saturday the saw Illini meet with Wright State who they had defeated in the 2001 Regional Championships to secure their berth to the national championships. The Illini pulled ahead with a goal by Tyson Masar only to conceed a late goal on a defensive miscue. The final match againts Dayton on Sunday was filled with many opportunities for Illinois, but it was Dayton who took advantage of a spot kick on their way to a 1-0 victory, handing the Illini their first loss of the regular season. Illinois looks to rebound this weekend as they travel to Penn State to face Cornell, rival Michigan and Penn State. |
| Illinois finds disappointment in Dayton |
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| Fighting Illini return to their winning ways |
| After a dissapointing weekend the Illini were anxious to get their season back on track with a weekend in Penn State. Illinois was lined up against conference rivals Michigan then two out of conference matches against Cornell and the host school Penn State. After a draining 10 hour trek to the east. Illinois opened the weekend early Saturday morning against Michigan. They came out sluggish, conceeding two first-half goals. But the second half belonged to the Illini as they came out determined and netted 3 goals from Keith Hormel, Pat Gabrysiak and Joe Donat giving them an incredible and important conference win. The next match of the afternoon was less inspiring however. The squad failed to capitalize on numerous chances and it was only through a last minute finish from winger Joe Donat that the Illini were able to salvage a 1-1 draw against an obviously outmatched Cornell squad. Sunday morning saw Illinois return to their form against Penn State. After a scoreless half, Tommy Thies was sent-off for two yellow cards, and the illini were forced to play down a man. Despite this the team battled back and Ryan Stotts scored two quick goals to give them a 2-0 lead. Despite dozens of attempts, Penn State was only able to get one passed due to the solid play of goalkeeper Wally Musumeci, and the Illini came away with a brilliant 2-1 victory. 10/6/02 |
| Illinois 4 - Purdue 0 Stotts-Gabrysiak Stotts-Hormel Stotts-Donat Zaccagnini |
| Illinois 6 - N. Illinois 0 Guevara(PK) Donat Stotts-Zaccagnini Stotts Burch-Partyka Zaccagnini-Partyka |
| Illinois 3 - Northwestern 0 Mayer-Stotts Donat-Burch Gabrysiak(PK) |
| Oct. 12/13 @ Northern Illinois |
| Gabrysiak handles the Hoosiers |
| Thanks to a Pat Gabrysiak hat-trick and another goal from senior midfileder Nick Zaccagnini the Illini were able to put an end to Indiana's undefeated season Saturday on the home pitch. It was the first home match of the year for Illinois who faced off against Indiana University who sat at the top of the MASC Western Division. Indiana opened with a quick goal but a penalty kick from Gabrysiak put the Illini even. Indiana wasted no time setting themselves back on top however and the half ended 1-2. But characteristic of the Illinois squad this year, the second half belonged to them. Zaccagnini drew the team even with a slow bender to the side netting, and it wasnt long until Gabrysiak tacked on his second goal from close range to gain a 3-2 lead. Then a brilliantly struck free kick from well outside the penalty area by Gabrysiak completed his hat-trick and put the game on ice with a 4-2 lead that stood until the whistle. The Illini finish their regular season schedule tomorrow at noon against Western Illinois. 10/19/02 |
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| Illinois' regional tournament campaign falls short |
| The Fighting Illini failed to win their 3rd straight Regional Championship this weekend at Indiana University. Illinois opened against Toledo who came on strong early but shortly after half the Illini were able to draw even at 3-3. Despite their efforts the Illini could not shut down Toledo's offense as they lost the high scoring battle 4-5. The Illini's next match against Ohio University was a slightly better performance but due to short lapses which were so charactersitic of this season, the Illini allowed them back in the match and the game ended in a 3-3 draw. Due to the squad's poor performance this weekend they must rely on an at-large bid for the national tournament in Bakersfield, CA, which are supposed to be announced by this Wednesday. IllinisSoccer.com will keep you posted on all national tournament details. 10/27/02 |
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| Illinois receives National's bid |
| The Fighting Illini received and accepted their bid to the Championship flight of the NIRSA National Championships today. This year's tournament is to be held in Bakersfield, California. The squad received an at large bid after finishing the season in second place in the MASC Power Rankings. This represents the third straight National Championship appearance for the team. Last |
| year's tournament saw the Illini reach to final match only to be beaten by a powerful BYU squad. And in the 2000 Championships the squad made it to the semifinals before being beaten by Texas Tech. Keep tuned to illinisoccer.com for coming National Championship information. |
| Fighting Illini Make Quarterfinals |
| The Fighting Illini recently returned from their third straight National Tournament appearance. This year the National Tournament was held in Bakersfield California. The squad flew out early Nov. 19th for training sessions before the tournament began. Illinois began group play on Thursday the 21st , their group held teams from Colorado State, University of Texas and University of Arizona. Illinois started out with a defensive battle against Colorado State where neither squad would budge and it ended in a scoreless draw. Up next for the Illini was University of Texas. The Illini came out slow against Texas, which has been a problem for them this entire season, and conceeded an early goal, but then came back late in the way the have done even more often this year. The second half was back and forth until the end when Gabrysiak put in a header to gain the 1-0 lead and nab a thrilling victory. Arizona was next, a team that Illinois had last seen in the 2000 Championships in Texas, where they Illinois defeated them in group play. Again the opposition struck first by netting two first half goals. But Yusuf was able to put away a sitter just before the half to give the Illini hope.The second half saw the momentum shift as the squad kept knocking at the door, but it wasnt until Nick Zaccagnini put one away late to draw even and salvage a 2-2 tie. With their performance the team was able to take second in their group behind Arizona, and advance to the quarterfinal where they would face the always powerful Brigham Young University squad. BYU had defeated the Illini the year before in the national championship match. In the match the Fighting Illini never got off the ground, as the team found itself down a goal within the first minutes. The Illini were able to tack on two second half goals from Stotts but in the end it was not nearly enough as the Illini were again ousted by BYU. Despite a disappointing Nationals appearance, the Fighting Illini completed the 2002 season with an impressive 10-3-3 regular season record as well as winning the MASC Western Division. The team would like to wish departing seniors Tommy Thies, Ian Law, Ryan Stotts, and Nick Zaccagnini the best in their endeavors as well as thank all of the fans, parents, and alumni who have supported the team this year. |
| 2002 NATIONAL TOURNAMENT REPORT------------------- |
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