Illinois Soccer took its first road trip of the season this past weekend, taking on Pepperdine on Friday and San Francisco on Sunday. The WCC foes looked to be difficult tests when the schedule was first released, and they certainly lived up to the billing.
First up was a date in Malibu at No. 22 Pepperdine. The Waves came into the match 1-0-1, including a scoreless draw with then No. 12 Texas A&M. Pepperdine started strong, pouring pressure on the Illini defense before banging a shot off the crossbar in the 5th minute. The game evened out after that, with both sides getting chances in a fairly open first half.