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Girls soccer update: Today's game moved to Turf Field at Stadium and First
Published: Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 11:02am
URBANA — Today's girls soccer game against Mattoon is still scheduled to be played, but the location has been moved across campus.
Instead of being played at Uni's usual home field at Lincoln and Florida avenues in Urbana, the game will take place at Turf Field, Stadium and First, Champaign. The field is just to the west of Memorial Stadium.
Today's match will be the final home contest of the season. The traditional Senior Day celebration will honor Annie Machesky, Joy Shapley, and Rachel Skoza, the team's only seniors.
The Illineks enter today's game 9-3-1 overall and 3-0-1 in the East Central Illinois Conference. Their ECIC season is over; thanks to a 1-1 tie with defending champion Decatur Lutheran last week, the girls clinched no worse than a share of the conference title.
Uni is a No. 1 regional seed in the upcoming IHSA Class 1A playoffs. (See below for Uni's regional schedule.) The team's record this year against other 1A teams has been a remarkable 8-0-1. Uni has outscored its small-school opponents 46-1. The one goal the Illineks gave up — to Decatur Lutheran — was in fact an "own goal."
Against 2A opponents Uni is 1-3. The Illineks upset Urbana 2-1 and fell to Champaign Central 5-0, Champaign Centennial 2-0, and Charleston 4-1. (The latter game was played on a dreadful mud bowl of a field that took away any opportunity for the Illineks to use their athleticism and quickness, especially among their outstanding midfielders.)
Today's foe, Mattoon, is a 2A school. Last year Uni lost 1-0 to the Green Wave on the road.
Junior center-midfielder Erika Belmont is Uni's leading scorer. Her 14 goals are tops for the area, according to The News-Gazette.
Speaking of the local paper, today's News-Gazette has an article by sports writer Tony Bleill about the girls titled "Confidence not a problem for Illineks."
A Look Ahead to the Postseason
CLASS 1A MONTICELLO REGIONAL SEEDS
- 1. UNI HIGH
2. Monticello
3. Decatur Lutheran
4. Decatur St. Teresa
5. Champaign St. Thomas More
6. Champaign Judah Christian
CLASS 1A MONTICELLO REGIONAL SCHEDULE
All games at Monticello H.S. unless otherwise noted; admission price is $4
Tuesday, May 12
- Match 1 at 4:30 p.m. — (5) St. Thomas More at (4) Decatur St. Teresa
- Match 2 at 4:30 p.m. — (6) Judah Christian at (3) Decatur Lutheran
Saturday, May 16
- Match 3 at 11 a.m. — (1) UNI HIGH vs. Winner Match 1
- Match 4 at 1 p.m. — (2) Monticello vs. Winner Match 2
Tuesday, May 19
- Match 5 at 4 p.m. — Winner Match 3 vs. Winner Match 4



