“We went out there and played a tough game, and it’s tough to lose a game like that in overtime,” junior forward Olivia Stander said. “Just coming off a loss against Iowa last week, we wanted to come out and come out hard and take it to these girls. I think we did a good job making adjustments in overtime, but we couldn’t get it done.”

Following the longest road trip of the season, the Spartans (10-4-0, 3-3-0 Big Ten) entered the game looking to steal a win against Illinois. But for the third consecutive game, the highly touted Spartan offense was surprisingly quiet.

The team struggled to keep the ball in its offensive zone for most of the game and only could muster seven shots compared to Illinois’ 23 shots on the day.

Several players including Stander and senior defender Katelin Chaklos had significant scoring chances but weren’t able to find the back of the net.

Five minutes into the game, Stander took possession, spun and got a shot off in front of Fighting Illini goalkeeper Steph Panozzo but was denied at close range. Later in the first half, Chaklos made a move up from the defensive zone and fired a shot from close to 30 yards out, which also would be denied by Panozzo.

The two Spartan leaders combined for five of the team’s seven shots. Senior goalkeeper Jill Flietstra also played strongly, making a season-high 11 saves in the losing effort.

“Illinois is a good team and I give them a lot of credit. They played well today,” Flietstra said. “We just couldn’t quite get it done at the end.”

After another close loss on the season — MSU’s other three losses each have been by a goal — the team will look to break the cycle against rival Michigan (8-4-2, 3-2-1) Wednesday at DeMartin Stadium.

For the MSU seniors, it will be the last chance to beat the Wolverines. In five of the past six meetings, the teams have played to a tie, with the last win coming for MSU in 2006.

After the loss to Illinois, women’s soccer head coach Tom Saxton emphasized staying focused in preparation for Michigan. Saxton said the loss to Illinois is frustrating but he believes his team will be able to rebound.

“We should be thinking about them right away,” Saxton said. “That’s the best news of this, that we’ve got our in-state arch-rivals coming. The team will bounce back.”

The sentiment to beat the Wolverines is shared among the MSU players. Several players, including Stander, said the frustration of close losses to Iowa and Illinois will carry as momentum into the matchup with Michigan.

“We’re frustrated and we know we’re better than this, and we have the talent,” Stander said. “We’re going to take it to them on Wednesday.”