On Oct. 1, 2006, the Illinois soccer team came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat then-No. 9 Penn State at home in front of a school record 2,667 fans. The match also marked the first "Soccerfest" for Illinois.

Including the Penn State game, Soccerfest has brought in the top three crowds in Illini history in its three years of existence. The event is designed to promote interest in Illinois soccer, with free food, performances and kids games.

"What makes Soccerfest special is that it's more like a soccer game with a festival involved," said Elizabeth Klatt, Illinois' assistant director of sports marketing.

But while Soccerfest has always drawn big crowds, it has never surpassed the attendance record set in 2006.

This Sunday, in its Big Ten opener, Illinois is hoping not only to break that home attendance record but also the Big Ten single-game attendance record of 3,186.

The match itself will feature Illinois (5-3-1) taking on Minnesota (6-2-1) and will air on the Big Ten Network. But Soccerfest has traditionally involved much more than soccer.

This year, the event will have food, live music, including a performance by the Marching Illini drumline, inflatable games for kids and motorcycles.

Yes, motorcycles.

For the first time at Soccerfest, the team is encouraging anyone with a motorcycle to park it on the track that runs around the soccer field.

"When we score a goal, all the motorcycles will rev their engines at once, creating essentially the loudest soccer environment we've had," Klatt said.

The purpose of Soccerfest is to create a high-energy environment for Illinois soccer — the kind of environment Head Coach Janet Rayfield said the Illini experienced when they lost 4-1 in front of 3,524 fans at then-No. 2 Portland on Sept. 11.

"Portland pretty much sets the attendance record every year ... (in) women's soccer," Rayfield said. "Our players love that environment, and they can't wait for Soccerfest because then they know they get to have that environment here at home. It's exciting to have people cheering, but it's even more exciting to have them cheering for you as opposed to against you."

Senior Jackie Santacaterina has been on the team since Soccerfest began and knows the importance of having a lot of fans at a home soccer match.

"They just kind of give you that extra ounce of energy that you need toward the end of the game when you're down or when you need to finish off a game," she said. "Especially this year, they've been great so far. I think they've been really consistent."

Santacaterina also gave credit specifically to the students, who have regularly filled up the bleachers on Friday nights.

"I know goalkeepers from the other team hate them, so (they've) been really fun just to listen to," she chuckled.

Santacaterina's fondest Soccerfest memory was of the Penn State game three years ago.

"There were people everywhere, and they had inflatable things, and there were a bunch of families, and we were down 2-1 and came back and won 3-2," she said. "The atmosphere was awesome, and it was great to have that kind of game in front of all those fans because we want fans to come back."

So far, the event has given fans a reason to come back — the Illini are 3-0 in their three Soccerfests.

"This year we're on track to be just as good at home, and so what that does is it helps our fans start to recognize that this is a good team to watch, that they're entertaining and that hopefully they'll be able to come home with a win as well," Klatt said.