Michigan
Illinois
Wolverines to Host Illinois with Playoff Hopes on the Line
10/24/2025 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Promotions
Oct. 26
• Pride at the Pitch -- Celebrating members of the LGBTQ+ community at the annual Pride at the Pitch game.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A spot in the Big Ten Tournament is on the line at U-M Soccer Stadium this Sunday (Oct. 26) as the University of Michigan women's soccer team (6-8-3, 3-4-3 Big Ten) takes on Illinois (12-4-1, 5-4-1 Big Ten) to close out the 2025 regular season. The fixture will stream live at 1 p.m. on B1G+.
Notes
• Michigan leads the all-time series against Illinois 18-10-1 and had won four straight meetings before dropping a 2-1 decision last season.
• The Wolverines remain in contention for a Big Ten Tournament berth, needing a win over Illinois and a Penn State loss or tie to Ohio State, or a USC loss or tie to UCLA, to clinch a playoff spot. U-M sits 11th in the standings — one point behind USC and two behind Penn State.
• Sophomore Elle Ervin scored her seventh goal of the season, and Sophie Homan made nine saves in a 3-1 loss to Rutgers last Sunday. Michigan conceded twice in the first half while being outshot 10-1, and its second-half comeback fell short, ending a two-match unbeaten streak.
• Juniors Gabrielle Prych and Elle Ervin are the fourth-highest scoring duo in the Big Ten with 13 combined goals, trailing only Michigan State, USC and Penn State's top pairs (15 combined goals each).
• Ervin ranks in the conference's top 10 in both goals (7) and points (16), making her Michigan's highest-scoring sophomore since Meredith Haakenson posted nine goals and 15 points in 2019.
• Sophie Homan ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 65 saves and has logged four clean sheets. She's tied for the most Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors this season with two.
• Jenna Lang has been a key playmaker in conference play, assisting on four goals — tied for the third-most among Big Ten field players.
• Illinois head coach Katie Hultin returns to Ann Arbor after serving as a Michigan assistant under Jennifer Klein from 2018-21. Klein also coached Illinois assistant Sammy Jo Prudhomme at USC, where Prudhomme was the starting goalkeeper on the 2016 national championship team.
