In my last blog entry, I picked the Illinois Soccer team to finish 5th in the Big Ten in 2010.  Based on what I've seen from the team in its two exhibition games, that still seems about right to me.  There is a nice influx of freshman talent to go along with a solid group of returning veterans.  The 2009 squad ended up being a bit less than the sum of its parts, and the 2010 squad will look to reverse course.  Let's take a look at the 2010 schedule game by game and see how things look for Janet Rayfield's squad.  The numbers in parenthesis beside each team represent it's won-loss record in 2009, followed by number of starters returning/lost.

8/20 @ Loyola IL (5-14-3, 7/4).  The Ramblers struggled in 2009, particularly in the non-conference portion of their schedule, where they went just 1-6-1.  Their struggles were due in large part to the loss of 2008 All-Horizon League forward Cynthia Morote-Ariza to injury for most of the season.  Morote-Ariza played just five games in her senior season, and the Ramblers struggled to find offense without her.  With her graduation, that may again be an issue for this squad, as their leading returning scorer, Nikki Staton, tallied just four goals.  Prediction: Illinois 3 Loyola 0.  Record 1-0.

8/24 vs Wright State (11-7-2, 10/1).  For the second straight game, Illinois will face a member of the Horizon League in the Raiders of Wright State.  Pat Ferguson's squad has posted double-digit victory totals in each of his five seasons in Dayton, so the Raiders should provide a bit more of a challenge than Loyola.  Wright State did have some trouble scoring last year against higher level opposition.  Prediction: Illinois 2 Wright State 0.  Record 2-0.

8/29 vs Ball State (4-13-1, not available).  New coach Craig Roberts comes to Muncie after a successful head-coaching stint at Tennessee-Martin.  Early indications are that the Cardinals will be improved in 2010.  They went 4-0-1 during their spring schedule (the tie was against Wright State), and also tied Cincinnati in an exhibition game last weekend.  That said, it would be a tall order for the Cardinals to get a victory in Champaign.  Prediction: Illinois 3 Ball State 1.  Record 3-0.

9/3 @ Connecticut (11-8-2, 9/2).  The Huskies had a bit of a down season by their standards in 2009, but still qualified for the NCAA Tournament, bowing out in the second round to Boston College.  With UConn returning nine of eleven starters from that squad, this appears to be the first real challege for Janet Rayfield's squad in 2010.  Prediction: Connecticut 2 Illinois 1.  Record 3-1.

9/5 @ Yale (10-6, 8/3).  The Illini's east coast road trip continues with a visit to Yale.  The Bulldogs were solid in 2009, and return most of their firepower on offense, including Ivy League player of the year Becky Brown, who scored 13 goals for the Bulldogs in 2009.  Stopping Brown will be a huge key for the Illini defense, who have shown over the years they can take any one player out of an opposing team's attack.  Prediction: Illinois 1 Yale 0.  Record 4-1.

9/11 @ Cincinnati (8-10-1, 7/4).  The Bearcats took a step back last season, but are looking to rebound with an incoming freshman class of ten players.  In this matchup of teams that struggled in one-goal games a season ago (Cincy 3-8, Illinois 1-6), which team can step up and claim an important non-conference win?  Prediction: Illinois 2 Cincinnati 1.  Record 5-1.

9/17 vs LSU (15-4-5, 6/5).  The Tigers are easily the best team from 2009 on this season's non-conference schedule, but they did lose quite a bit from last year's squad that was eliminated in the NCAA second round by Texas A&M.  This is a team with just one senior and six juniors, but with a very talented freshman class.  They will have already played games at 2009 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and BYU, so don't expect them to be intimidated on the road.  Prediction: Illinois 1 LSU 1.  Record 5-1-1.

9/19 vs Louisville (5-11-1, 9/2).  Louisville has gone from NCAA Tournament team as recently as 2007 (when Illinois defeated them in the first round), to a team that struggled to a seventh place finish in its division of the Big East in 2009.  This team struggled to score goals, as they were shut out eight times last season.  The Illini will attempt to keep the Cardinal offense from finding its range.  Prediction: Illinois 2 Louisville 0.  Record 6-1-1.

9/26 @ Minnesota (12-5-3, 11/0).  Take a team that returns all eleven starters.  Add the fact that they were leapfrogged by Michigan State and missed an NCAA Tournament bid in 2009 (a decision the committee got wrong in my opinion).  That's a formula for an experienced, motivated squad, much like the team that coach Mikki Denney Wright led to a 22-4 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2008.  It will take a great Illinois effort to get a win in Minneapolis, where the Illini are 2-4-1 all time.  Prediction: Minnesota 2 Illinois 0.  Record 6-2-1, 0-1 B10.

10/1 vs Purdue (12-6-3, 7/4).  Coach Rob Klatte always has a solid squad in West Lafayette, but this could be a challenging season for the Boilermakers.  Purdue is a young squad, with just four seniors.  Games between Illinois and Purdue are always hard-fought, with the home team almost always coming away with a win.  In fact, Illinois is 6-0 all-time against the Boilers in Champaign, just 0-4-2 against them in West Lafayette.  Prediction: Illinois 1 Purdue 0.  Record 7-2-1, 1-1 B10.

10/3 vs Indiana (10-7-2, 8/3).  Like Illinois, the Hoosiers had a disappointing 2009 season.  They had a big non-conference win over Florida, but struggled through the Big Ten season and missed the NCAA Tournament.  IU returns most of its offensive firepower from a season ago, but has some holes to fill on the defensive side.  How well it fills those holes will determine their fate in 2010.  The Illini are 4-1-1 vs. Indiana in Champaign, with the one loss coming in 1998.  Prediction: Illinois 3 Indiana 1.  Record 8-2-1, 2-1 B10.

10/10 @ Wisconsin (10-6-6, 10/1).  The Big Ten's breakout team in 2009, Wisconsin finished third in the league and advanced to the Sweet 16.  One of their wins last season came in Champaign, a 1-0 decision.  The Badgers return just about everyone from last year's young squad, and their biggest challenge will be how they handle going from the hunter to the hunted.  They won't sneak up on anyone in 2010.  Prediction: Illinois 1 Wisconsin 1.  Record 8-2-2, 2-1-1 B10.

10/16 vs Iowa (9-11, 9/2).  The Hawkeyes have been better under coach Ron Rainey's leadership, averaging 8 wins per season in his first four seasons.  However, they have yet to achieve a winning record, and success in the Big Ten has been just out of their grasp.  By most accounts, Iowa is accumulating more talent each year, but the Hawkeyes have never won in Champaign (0-5).  Prediction: Illinois 3 Iowa 1.  Record 9-2-2, 3-1-1 B10.

10/21 @ Ohio State (14-4-2, 9/2).  Ohio State returned to the NCAA Tournament last year after missing out in 2008.  The Buckeyes had an outstanding season, but it ended on a sour note, as they lost the regular season finale to an injury-laden Michigan State team before losing at home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Oregon State.  Home field hasn't mattered that much in this series, as Illinois is 3-3 in Columbus, and just 3-4 in Champaign (including a 3-0 loss in 2009).  Prediction: Illinois 1 Ohio State 1.  Record 9-2-3, 3-1-2 B10.

10/24 vs Penn State (13-6-2, 6/5).  The Nittany Lions have won twelve straight Big Ten championships.  Not surprisingly, the Illini have struggled against Penn State, going just 2-17 all time, including a 6-0 loss in State College last season.  Even though Penn State loses five starters from last season, they have more than enough talent to fill in those gaps.   Prediction: Penn State 2 Illinois 1.  Record 9-3-3, 3-2-2 B10.

10/29 @ Michigan State (11-5-4, 9/2).  Illinois hammered the Spartans 5-0 last season in Champaign, but the Spartans had been ravaged by injuries at that point in the season, most notably to All-American Laura Heyboer, who returns for her junior season.  Illinois has had MSU's number over the years (last loss coming in 2002), but this could be the year Sparty takes his revenge.  Prediction: MSU 2 Illinois 1.  Record 9-4-3, 3-3-2 B10.

10/31 @ Michigan (6-9-5, 8/3).  The Wolverines dealt Illinois' NCAA Tournament hopes a crippling blow last season with a 1-0 win in Champaign.  Michigan has become more competitive under former US National Team coach Greg Ryan, but have yet to develop a dangerous offensive attack to go along with their tough defense.  Prediction: Illinois 2 Michigan 0.  Record 10-4-3, 4-3-2 B10.

11/6 vs Northwestern (7-10-2, 7/4).  Northwestern has been a thorn in the Illini's side the last three seasons, as Illinois has gone 0-2-1 against their in-state rivals.  Both losses came in Evanston, but this year's game is in Champaign, where Illinois is 5-0-1 against the Wildcats.  On senior night, look for the Illini to finish off the regular season on a high note.  Prediction: Illinois 3 Northwestern 0.  Record 11-4-3, 5-3-2 B10

If Illinois can rebound to an 11-win season in 2010, that should be enough for them to return to the NCAA Tournament.  That's a reasonable goal for a team that went 7-9-3 last season, despite one blogger's lofty expectations.   The season opener is Friday night in Chicago, and I can't wait for it to get started.

A programming note: WDWS will be carrying at least five Illinois soccer matches in 2010.  The slate includes Wright State (8/24), Ball State (8/29), LSU (9/17), Iowa (10/16) and Penn State (10/24).  I hope you can join us.  Thanks for reading.

bmoline@wdws.com