Illini Soccer kicks off 2026-27 season vs No. 19 Georgia

Illini Soccer kicks off the 2026-2027 season tonight at home vs the 19th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Second-year coach Katie Hultin will be looking to build off a solid first year as the head coach in Champaign, in which she led the Illini to a 13-6-2 record. The Illini also made their first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2020 and their first NCAA tournament since 2013. Hultin and the Illini had some major wins last season, including a 4-3 upset over the 18th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions and a 1-0 victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.

The 2026 season certainly starts off with a bang as the Illini host a ranked opponent in the Georgia Bulldogs. The Bulldogs went 10-5-6 overall last season and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

The game will be featured on Big Ten Plus at 6 pm CT. For fans in the Champaign-Urbana area, the game is at Demirjian Park.

Players to watch

F Emma Yee: The junior forward is one of the key returners for Hultin’s Illini. Yee started every single game last season and scored six goals

F Cayla Jackson: Jackson had a decorated 2025 season, including All-Big Ten third-team honors. Jackson scored seven goals last season, a team high.

Goalkeeper Izzy Lee: Last week, Lee was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List. The award is the nation’s highest honor and Lee is the third Illini to make the watchlist in Illinois history. She is the first Illini to make this list since 2015. Last season, Izzy Lee notched 123 saves, a school record. This all culminated in Lee earning All-Big Ten second team.

Izzy Lee’s on the Hermann Trophy Watch List

Release: https://t.co/n4nTwbMllM pic.twitter.com/z3639habVJ

— Illinois Soccer (@IlliniSoccer) August 12, 2026

The preseason poll

Per the Big Ten preseason poll, Illini soccer is etched to finish ninth overall in the Big Ten.

• 1. Michigan State
• 2. UCLA
• 3. Washington
• 4. Wisconsin
• 5. Ohio State
• 6. Penn State
• 7. USC
• 8. Northwestern
• 9. Illinois
• 10. Iowa
• 11. Michigan
• 12. Nebraska
• 13. Purdue
• 14. Minnesota
• 15. Rutgers
• 16. Indiana
• 17. Maryland
• 18. Oregon

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