“Our girls battled hard for 90 minutes, for sure,” said Aces head coach Krista McKendree. “We had a couple bad decisions and credit to Illinois. They battled, they came back, and they capitalized on a couple of our mistakes.”
The Aces struck first with just over five minutes remaining in the opening half. Senior JBess Ruby won the ball off a goal kick by Illinois as senior Nicki Baham found it off the header and dribbled to the top of the box and smashed a shot past the keeper to give the Aces a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, the Illini equalized the match in the 55th minute as Illinois’ Kelly Maday slipped the ball into the back of the net from 10 yards out.
The final 30 minutes of regulation featured a host of chances for the Aces and Illini, but neither side was able to find the go-ahead goal.
With the game in its first overtime, Illinois capitalized on an opportunity just a minute in. Gabbi Chapa looped a ball into the box from 30 yards out that fell at the feet of Morgan Maroney who finished it into the net for the game-winning goal.
