(WCIA) — After five games straight on the road, Illinois head coach Janet Rayfield said she likes what she’s seen from her team so far. With a tough road schedule, finishing the five game stretch 2-2-1, Rayfield says the tough road schedule will only help the team in the future as they get ready for conference play.

“They’re fighting really hard and that’s something that we’ve talked about and they’re playing with some trust and discipline that I think puts them in position to win games,” Rayfield said. “We have been in a position to win all 5 of those games and soccer can be a cruel sport and the team that dominates doesn’t always win, but we have put ourselves in a position to win every game that we have played against a tough schedule.”

Illinois now heads back to Champaign for senior day Sunday against Pepperdine.