Illinois Lacrosse Update

Champaign, Illinois - After a rocky start to the 2008 season, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini pushed their winning streak to 8 games this past weekend with a pair of GRLC victories, one over Nebraska and one over No. 20 Lindenwood.

The Fighting Illini began this season ranked in the top 25 teams in the nation, but fell off the charts as the beginning of the season was riddled with losses. Their early season defeat to Texas A&M was followed quickly by losses to Simon Fraser, Arizona State, Arizona, and Michigan.

But the Illini seemed to turn their season around starting with their nail-biting 7-6 victory over No. 24 Michigan State, and then a dominant 20-10 win over unranked Texas Tech from the Lone Star Alliance (LSA).

Following these two wins, Illinois returned to Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference (GRLC) play. Early in April, the Illini racked up three GRLC division 1 victories over Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois State.

They continued their winning ways against Central Michigan from the CCLA with a 13-8 win, setting the stage for the GRLC regular season game of the year. No. 20 Lindenwood at Illinois in a rematch of last year’s GRLC championship game. Illinois had lost 6 straight to Lindenwood and was ready to prove their worth.

“We have played some top competition this season,” said Illinois Coach Vince Smith, “but yet, in the preparation of those weeks nothing has been like this. There is a definite sense of confidence that our team has been playing with the past couple of weeks, and all we can ask as a coaching staff is that this [momentum] carries over to this weekend’s contest.”

“This game is a huge rivalry,” commented Lions’ assistant coach Jimmy Lange. “The games have gotten tighter over the years and it is always a dog fight when these two sides meet.”

The game began on Saturday afternoon, and the Lions got off to a quick start in the first quarter. “We got up 4 goals right away,” said Lions’ Head Coach Troy Hood. “Then they switched to a zone and forced us into some new situations.”

“Plus, we lost our starting goalie (Tim Jennings) in the first quarter,” Hood continued. Jennings has been a key play-maker for the Lions all season, and his presence on the field was sorely missed by the Lindenwood squad.

“The momentum of the game completely changed after that,” said Illini Coach Doug Shanahan.

The game turned physical as a total of 37 penalties were called in the game; 21 against Lindenwood and 16 for Illinois. “[We kept] a good pace and provided a lot of transition opportunities which we were able to take advantage of,” added Shanahan.

“Illinois shot well,” Hood complimented the Illini team. “I have to give credit to the zone defense they were in, and they were very good with their face-offs.”

Illinois junior Doug Sutherland dominated on the face-off X, winning 14 of the 20 face-offs he played.

The Fighting Illini would tack another win onto their streak on Sunday with a easy 25-5 win over GRLC foe Nebraska. Illinois has now gone 8 consecutive games without a loss, and kept each of those teams to 10 goals or less.

Coach Smith commented on their victorious momentum: “A lot of our success has a relation to the way we have been practicing the past 3-4 weeks. Coach Shanahan and I have tried to make the boys realize that if you practice up tempo and hard, then the games will be that much easier.”

“We have really gotten after each other at practice since the Michigan game,” he continued, “because we felt like we didn’t compete against Michigan. Since then we have been competing in practice and it has shown in the game situations.”

“The team has really come together as of late,” said Coach Shanahan. “Even when we were 1-6 and after a brutal beating from Michigan this team stuck together. We have overcome adversity all year with a poor start, coaching change, and yes, even an earthquake. To put together 8 straight has done wonders for our confidence.”

With the win over Lindenwood, it is likely that the Illini will enter the GRLC 2008 conference tournament seeded first, earning them a first-round bye.

Shanahan concluded: “The Illini look to end the season on a high note with a win against Missouri State who comes to [Champaign] this Friday.” With their momentum only building, the Illini have put their early-season troubles behind them and have a good chance to attend the National Tournament this May.