Freshman Jenna Carosio will be the first to admit that when she came to campus to begin the fall semester, she was lost. She didn’t even know what to do with her laundry. Luckily, for Carosio and the Illinois soccer team, the midfielder has figured a few things out on the field and off it since then, and now even knows where to wash her clothes.

Carosio is one of the many freshmen and sophomores who have made solid contributions to the Illinois soccer team this season.

While the team is still driven by its veterans, the younger players have helped steer the Illini (11-8-1) to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

The Illini open play Friday against the Memphis Tigers (15-4-2) in the Columbia, Mo., regional hosted by Missouri.

But the road to the postseason has had many twists and turns in it for these underclassmen.

Unlike many other sports, soccer is not a game where a coach can tell a player to run here or pass there.

In fact, set pieces on corner kicks aside, there are no plays run in soccer. Rather, it is a sport which embodies the definition of teamwork.

“It’s a sport where you have to read the game,” said Janet Rayfield, head coach of the Illinois soccer team. “I can’t tell a freshman if this (happens), do that. It’s a sport where you have to teach players to make decisions and that’s a much longer process than teaching players to follow plays.”

For these reasons, it is often difficult for young players to adjust to college soccer. Rayfield compared their situation to a freshman quarterback on the football team, as making decisions in the face of pressure with little experience and little knowledge of teammates can lead to struggles.

“We’re asking all of our players to be that freshman quarterback and to read defenses and pick out which player is the best option,” Rayfield said. “That is a real challenge for (young players).”

Thus far, they have risen to the occasion. In addition to Carosio, freshmen Marissa Mykines and Julie Ewing have provided quality minutes off the bench this year. Mykines, a forward, has scored two goals, including the game-winner against Michigan State.

Still learning the intricacies of college soccer and developing as sophomores, Cory Steigerwald, Laura Knutson and Jordan Hilbrands each play major roles on the squad. Knutson leads the team with five assists, Hilbrands has started 12 games and netted a game-winning goal, and Steigerwald has started nine games from the midfield position and also scored a game-winner.

But none bear as much responsibility as sophomore Danielle Kot, who has taken charge of the defense from her center back, or middle, position as defender. Her maturity has been important for several reasons. It allowed fellow defender and Olympian Emily Zurrer to move to outside back on defense, where the senior can be more aggressive attacking and has used her offensive prowess to score four goals.

Kot’s improvement throughout the season also has been a direct factor in the Illini’s tough defense, the strength of the team. Illinois has only allowed 15 goals in 20 games this season and has shut out its opponent eight times.

“She has a natural instinct in terms of anticipating the game,” Rayfield said. “She sees the game before most people. That gives her the ability to do the things that she does in the back.”

Kot said that as a freshman she did not know her teammates nearly as well as she does now. With the experience of a season under her belt, she now feels comfortable enough to take on the expanded defensive responsibilities and be a vocal leader on the field.

“As a freshman, you don’t want to go out screaming at seniors,” Kot said laughing, before noting she does not do that now either. “It’s easier this year because you’ve played with the girls for a year, so it’s easier to instruct people and you’re more confident with that.”

During their journey, the freshmen have faced many difficulties along the way. The daily schedule was one of the first surprises to hit them, as balancing a full class load with a time-consuming Division I sport took time to get used to, Ewing said.

Next came the intense practices. While Ewing, Mykines and Carosio each said they quickly picked up on the “competitive atmosphere” of practice, Rayfield said it always takes freshmen time before they become accustomed to bringing their highest level of intensity to practice on a daily basis. Carosio added adjusting to the pace of the game was one of the hardest parts for her.

Progressing in the mental aspect of the game, however, is what helps the Illini improve as much as anything.

“To get here, we’ve all got to be (physically) good,” Hilbrands said. “It’s the mental and tactical part that we’re still learning.”

Experience plays a huge factor in learning the tendencies of fellow teammates, which is important because it leads to more quality scoring chances.

As the year has gone on, the underclassmen have become more familiar with their teammates.

“Some midfielders will take an extra touch, so if I start running too early I will be offsides,” Hilbrands said. “I have to hold my run a little longer. Some people would beat a player before passing the ball and some play the ball to beat the player. It has to do with knowing who is playing the ball.”

Being familiar with teammates has allowed the younger Illini to play without having to think.

“We’re confident because we feel like the environment we’ve put them in on a day to day basis prepares them to be ready,” Rayfield said.