September 28, 2012
COMEBACK KIDS
Illini women rally past Indiana

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Fighting Illini women scored twice in the final 11 minutes to snatch a 2-1 come from behind win over Indiana Friday at Armstrong Stadium.

Amy Feher and Allie Osoba scored the Illini goals, with Kassidy Brown and Amy Feher earning the respective assists on the plays. Illinois moves to 6-4-1 overall and 3-1-0 in Big Ten play, while Indiana drops to 5-6-1 and 0-4-0 in conference competition.

"This was not our best performance as far as the type of soccer that we are capable of playing and the type of soccer that we want to play," said head coach Janet Rayfield. "However, our grit and determination got us the all important Big Ten road win."

Indiana got on the board first in the 56th minute, on a shot from Orianica Velasquez. Junior Rebecca Candler found Velasquez on the far side with a long service, and the Indiana goals corer blasted the ball past Panozzo from 15 yards out. The strike was Velasquez's third goal of the season.

The Illini picked up their urgency in the following minutes as DiBernardo's shot went just high and Breece's shot went a tad right of the post. The duo tallied another round of shots in the 75th-minute but both went wide.

Freshman Amy Feher then answered the call for the Illini in the 79th minute. From a dead ball restart, Kassidy Brown struck a deep cross into the box, and Feher won the battle for the header and flicked the ball into the back of the net to tie the game at one. The tally was Feher's first collegiate goal.

Next, Allie Osoba wasted no time when she checked in for the Illini in the 84th minute. Thirty seconds after the substitution, Osoba scored the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner. Allie collected the turnover inside the Hoosiers' penalty box and released a shot that went to the inside left post. Osoba picked up her first goal of the season and second in her career.





It was a back and forth battle in the first half where both teams had opportunities. Abby Smith registered the best chance for the Hoosiers in the 12th minute with a shot off the post. Steph Panozzo tallied her first and only save of the half in the 37th minute off of a Bekah White shot. The Illini struggled to test the Hoosier goalkeeper thanks to gritty defending by the Indiana defense and several blocked shots.

Vanessa DiBernardo tried to get the Illini attack rolling in the first ten minutes of the second period. The junior recorded a shot on goal, forcing goalkeeper Shannon Flower to make her second save of the match. DiBernardo then kicked the ensuing corner, but the Illini could not get control of the ball to release a shot.

Panozzo needed two saves to preserve her sixth win.

The Illini return to action this Sunday when they travel to West Lafayette to battle Purdue in the final game of the Indiana road trip. Kick off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.