If an up and down 2008 campaign taught the Illinois soccer team anything, it was the value of perseverance.

A season that was at times as mind boggling as it was exciting concluded with a great run to the NCAA Round of 16, but the success was not achieved without much determination on the Illini’s behalf. The team had to go through many struggles – two losing streaks of three or more games and a stretch of more than 400 minutes without a goal come to mind – before reaping its reward.

“The struggles throughout the season have given us things to draw on,” head coach Janet Rayfield said. “If you can learn from those, then you have a chance to make sure the end of the roller-coaster ride is exciting. That’s what this team did. This team had some rough spots, but they never quit believing in themselves and that’s what this team will walk away remembering.”

With its post-season run, Illinois has now made six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, reached the Round of 16 three of the past five seasons and most importantly established itself as a perennial top-25 program. Despite all that, a humbling 3-0 loss to the eventual national champion North Carolina Tar Heels with a national quarterfinal berth at stake has left the Illini hungry to reach the elite status they covet.

Fortunately, the Illini know just the remedy to take the next step. They must play a faster game. Although Illinois played the Tar Heels competitively, UNC was always the one step ahead that it takes to reach the elite level.

“Coach talked about working on our speed of play,” sophomore defender Danielle Kot said. “We need to be able to move the ball as quickly as North Carolina. The Big Ten plays a different style of soccer, so as we move farther in the NCAA Tournament we see teams that play quicker. We’re right there with them, the only thing is they put away their chances. Moving the ball quickly is huge, it gives you more chances.”

Rayfield said her team played some of its best soccer of the year against UNC. But she added for the team to play at such a high level on a consistent basis it has to build a training environment that forces the players to compete that way every day.

In that regard, depth is important. Luckily for Illinois, the season’s strong finish and sustained success on a yearly basis has helped immensely in recruiting. While Rayfield is not allowed to say much about recruits, she has a positive attitude.

“Recruiting is going really well, we have verbal commitments from some really exciting players,” Rayfield said. “Getting to the Sweet 16 three times in the last five years and the caliber of this institution, all those things are putting this program on a nationally competitive level from a recruiting standpoint.”

Next season, the Illini will return seven starters and a number of players who saw significant time off the bench. The team is already setting goals for their next run, when they hope this year’s perseverance pays off.

“We want to get even farther,” junior goalie Alexandra Kapicka said. “Get back to the Elite Eight (like the 2004 team) and be the first Illinois team to make it to the Final Four. It’s just a matter of growing from everything we’ve learned this year.”