The Illinois soccer team filed out of the athletic administration building in their jerseys and onto the well-manicured front lawn. It was the team’s media day, and every player’s face was brimming with smiles and seemed to emanate confidence. Just five days from the first game of their season, the players appeared to have no worries and instead, have great hope for the upcoming season.

“I would like to see us win the Big Ten Tournament this year and get past the second round of the NCAA Championship,” midfielder Vanessa DiBernado said. “That is something we have been unable to do in the years I have been here, so it’s an important team goal.”

The Illini head into the season ranked third in the Big Ten preseason polls and just outside the NCAA Top 25, so a deep run in either tournament would not be a surprise. That being said, 12th-year head coach Janet Rayfield believes there shouldn’t be a lot of stock put into the preseason rankings. She emphasizes the importance of the first game of the season as much as the last game in November.

To attain their team goals this season, Rayfield said the Illini will employ a more balanced approach to the tactical aspect of their game.  

“We’ll have a balance (of defending and attacking),” Rayfield said. “Against Virginia (in a preseason exhibition), we really got caught on the defensive side of things. We talked a lot about our midfield dropping into our backline, and we’ve got to focus on our midfield getting on their backline and being an attack-minded team. We want to be a team that puts you on your heels, but we also want to be defensively organized. That is one of the things we pride ourselves on.”

One potential source of concern for the team would be to find a starting goalkeeper for the upcoming season. Stephanie Panozzo played a huge role for the team, remaining reliable for the Illini between the sticks last season. With Panozzo graduating last spring, the team went into the preseason without a distinct replacement for Panozzo but with three choices with equal chances at the starting line.

“We played two (keepers) against Virginia and I think those two are leading the race right now, but it’s certainly not a distant third by any means,” Rayfield said. “The goalkeeping training mix has been fantastic and they are certainly pushing and challenging each other. I think technically and consistently, Lizzi (Sanscrainte) and Claire (Wheatley) are showing that sort of consistency, and those are the two leading the race right now.”

To kick off a difficult season schedule, Illinois will travel to Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Ind., to take on Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, finished last season 16-6-2 and were ousted from the NCAA tournament in the quarterfinals. Notre Dame is ranked No. 10 in the NCAA preseason polls.

“Certainly, Virginia tested us,” Rayfield said. “The biggest thing is we just have to do things faster. We have a pretty young crew and their decisions are good, they are just a little bit slow. They recognized it, and I think we’ll have to pick up the speed to be successful against Notre Dame, and that’s on both sides of the ball.”

Lanre can be reached at [email protected] and @WriterLanre.