Coach Janet Rayfield stressed prior to this weekend that she wanted her team to improve on the road as they entered Big Ten play. Her team responded Friday night as the Illinois women's soccer team defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 2-0 in Iowa City.

After finishing last year 1-6-1 on the road, the Illini have improved to 2-1 away from Illinois Field.

The win propelled the Illini to a 6-2-1 record, 2-0-1 in the Big Ten and extended their shutout streak to a school-record five consecutive games.

"Our defense is our pride and foundation," Rayfield said about her team's shutout streak. "It isn't just our defensive players, but it's us playing extremely well as a team."

Both teams struggled offensively in the first half. Despite eight shots on goal by the Illini and four by the Hawkeyes, neither team could find the back of the net until the second half.

The Illini were led in the second half by senior forward Tiffani Walker whose two goals, her second and third of the year, were the only scores of the game.

The first goal came in the 65th minute as Walker put home a feed from junior Andrea Ridgeway to give the Illini a 1-0 lead.

In the 80th minute, Walker knocked another goal past Iowa goaltender Britta Vogele on a cross from junior forward Tara Hurless.

"There wasn't much for me to do on either goal except be there and tap it in," said Walker. "Each goal was a team effort."

Illini junior goaltender Leisha Alcia had another stellar performance as she stopped five Iowa shots on goal to record her fifth consecutive shutout.

Alcia's biggest save came in the 74th minute as she tipped an Iowa free kick over the crossbar to preserve the 1-0 Illinois lead.

Despite the two goal victory, Rayfield insists there are aspects of the game the Illini still need to work on as they get further into the conference season.

"We need to make better use of our opportunities," said Rayfield whose team had 18 shots on goal, but only converted on two.

"We can't get complacent and we can't be satisfied," Rayfield said.

With the race for the conference championship so close, leadership and teamwork could be the edge in winning the Big Ten.

"The seniors have been great," Rayfield said. "They have continued to work hard to make this team better."

The Illini are now the lone remaining undefeated team in Big Ten play. The Hawkeyes dropped to 3-6-1 and 0-3-1 in the conference.

Despite their good record thus far, Walker put their position in perspective.

"We're on the right path, but there's a lot of the season left," Walker said.