With her Illinois squad leading Missouri 4-3 in the final round of a penalty kick shootout in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Illini junior goalie Alexandra Kapicka stood in one of the loneliest places in all of sports and thought to herself, “I got to make one save.”

When the final Missouri shooter drove a ball to Kapicka’s left, she got that stop by diving and knocking the ball away with her foot, earning her team a trip to the Round of 16.

In addition to her penalty kick heroics and career-high 11 saves against Missouri on Sunday, she also shut out Memphis on Friday during the first round of a 1-0 Illini double overtime win. This, however, is not a one-week accomplishment or unexpected performance from Kapicka. She has been spectacular in goal all year long, with nine shutouts and a 0.71 goals against average – the second-best pace in school history.

Before this season, Kapicka had appeared in only five collegiate games. She was, as head coach Janet Rayfield put it, “an unknown quantity.” But Kapicka has done more than erase that uncertainty. She has been an exclamation point on defense all season.

“She’s had a remarkable season,” Rayfield said. “It’s a statement to the work she’s put in. She’s put the time and effort in over the last couple of years to make herself ready to have this type of season. This is one of the best defensive seasons on record for the program, and Alex is the anchor and stability in the defense.”

Much of that dedication came last summer, when Kapicka, a general engineering major, had an internship at General Electric. She worked from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday, but before she went in, she trained at 5 a.m. Kapicka also made the drive to Champaign once a week to work out with last season’s starting goalie and Illinois graduate Lindsey Carstens.

As the season has progressed, so has Kapicka.

“Each game there’s different things I can learn from,” Kapicka said. “Getting more experience, I feel more confident about certain situations. At the end of the season, I feel like I’ve experienced almost every situation, and I know what I need to do.”

Kapicka’s play has Illinois (12-8-2) believing it has the advantage any time a game goes into penalty kicks.

“Alex is able to keep the competition in perspective and that gives her a good mindset going into a situation like that,” Rayfield said. “One of the great things about her is she can roll with the ups and downs; she rides the waves pretty well.”

The biggest challenge for Kapicka and the Illini will come this weekend, when the team plays the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels (21-1-2) on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., with a national quarterfinal berth on the line.

For Kapicka, these types of games are one of the main reasons she came to Illinois, and they mark the next step in her maturity as a player.

“It’s going to be a test,” Kapicka said. “We have not played a team of this caliber this year. We have the ability to play with them, but it’s going to be a battle for us. It’s going to be a matter of how we adapt to it. We’re excited though.”

Editor’s Note: The Daily Illini sports desk sits down on Sunday nights to decide which Illinois athlete or coach is our Illini of the Week. Student-athletes and coaches are evaluated by individual performance, contribution to team success and personal achievement.

Honorable Mention

Brad Hoelzer – Hockey

The junior defenseman led the Illini to a weekend sweep against Michigan-Dearborn. Hoelzer had five goals and an assist in the two-game series.

Jolette Law – Basketball

The head coach of the women’s basketball team signed the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation last week, according to ESPN’s HoopGurlz. Highlighted by Benton Harbor, Mich., native Destiny Williams, it marks the best class in program history.