Along the way, we’ll choose probable starters, discuss other options, maybe go off on a couple of tangents, and also coming away with a big “if” for each group could affect the team overall.
Her likely back up is Naomi Jackson, the former Freeport Pretzel who was one of 3 goalkeepers to be named to the United Soccer Coaches high school All-American team this past year.
Granted, the goalkeeper position can carry or doom a team , but Illinois just needs reliability in the net if they want to take a step forward over seasons prior.
Granted, some credit goes to Sample for that number, but it has to be shared with the four players directly in front of her who didn’t allow too many dangerous chances.
They aren’t extremely physically imposing, but they are big enough to muscle forwards off the ball when need be while being quick enough to shutdown quick attackers trying to slice through their lines.
Looking at last season’s preview, I had a pretty good idea that Cathro, Treiterer, and JVD would be involved , but Stibich wasn’t very much on my radar.
I’m suggesting throwing these two in the backline because this team was plagued by a turgid offense at times last season, but I’d expect the Illini to trot out Cathro, Treiterer, JVD, and Stibich every match and have them play every minute this fall if possible.
If the defense turns into a sieve, that puts more pressure on an inexperienced goalkeeper and on an attack that hasn’t been all that explosive the past few years.
You need either speed or creativity to be an attacking threat down the wing, and she has both in spades.
There are two options to protect her against this: 1) have the refs actually do their jobs competently or 2) get some other attacking options around her.
I do want to be clear, I’m talking mostly about her physical gifts which may make it seem like I’m pessimistic about technical skill by omission, but it’s good enough to where she is not a liability.
She scored 2 goals last season, the first of which against Nebraska where she managed to beat 2 Husker defenders to a ball in the box that came out of a collision between the Nebraska goalkeeper’s fists and Hope Breslin’s face.
She’s very good at picking her spots, applying pressure, and getting in good positions to force and take advantage of chaos, but I think this can be taken further.
First, get the ball from anywhere on the field and pass it to not the middle third, then pass it to not the middle third of that zone, and then to not the middle third of that one, and so on and so forth.
Oh boy, that clears practically nothing up.
Assuming a 120 yard field and a properly inflated size-5 ball, the ball will be bigger than the zone it needs to go into on the sixth pass.
First, commission a study titled something along the lines of “The Effects of Horses on Collegiate Soccer.” Then, release some very confused horses onto the field in the middle of a match.
However, a quick CRTL + f for “horse” on the 2018/19 rulebook and the rule changes for this season comes up empty, so by the Air Bud interpretation, I think this would be allowed.
If I had to guess, I think they might resort to 4-star recruit Ella Karolak, who’s listed as a defender/midfielder on the roster, but that’s very much a shot in the dark from me.
The projected starters in the midfield can be difference-makers, and if the backups can do that as well, it could make this team much more dynamic and tougher to scheme against.
A healthy Hope likely means that there were more dangerous pieces around her to occupy some attention, but even if that isn’t the case, a close-to-100% Hope would make everyone around her better.
Well, it’s now or never for Silber.
She has the ability to grab a match by the scruff of the neck, and heavens help the rest of collegiate women’s soccer if she figures it out in the next three years.
It feels like the pressure has been building up over the 3 previous years, and the dam will finally break this season.
The other option used was Hope Breslin, but she was only moved forward as sort of a backup or when she was playing half-injured near the end of the season.
That’s an outstanding option to have, but if it were possible to compliment that with a creative force closer to Mak, that would give this team plenty more dimensions in its attack.
Quick tangent off that tangent: I’m going to defend the 3 players I just mentioned above a bit.
This summer, Syd has tallied a respectable 3 goals and 2 assists for the SLSG squad in UWS play.
She showed her aptitude as a poacher-extraordinaire last fall, and her one assist last season was originally credited to her as a goal off a mad scramble in the box against Northwestern.
If she’s fully recovered and back to her normal level, she might actually jump Kollhoff into the second spot, simply because she’d be more of a like-for-like sub for Silber.
Also, she’s a local product from Mahomet-Seymour, so we have no choice but to root for her.
The problem right now facing Eichenbaum is that she’s likely too small to be the lone striker against B1G teams. She would thrive in Rayfield’s 3-5-2 she used in years past where the two forwards were a tall-and-small pair, and theoretically it wouldn’t be too hard to adjust a 4-4-1-1 to a 4-4-2, especially since Rayfield likes to sub in and out the 1-1 up front as a unit.
She put up absolutely bonkers numbers at her high school in Texas which helped her garner a 4-star rating and top-150 recruiting ranking in her class.
I’d also expect Garrison to still get some time at CAM primarily, although as one of the team’s designated Swiss Army Knives, she might be called to other positions in an emergency.
Yes, part of that was due to the Big Ten not playing a nonconference schedule, but the other part of that was due to a few weaknesses in the team as a whole, and even though getting almost every big piece back is definitely a positive for this coming season, that means those weaknesses will come along too.
The team started Spring 2021 with their offense in a rut, trying to connect passes up the wings with little to show for that.
The midfield tends to disappear for stretches, so if she can do some dirty work while providing something going forward, or if she spends most of the time commanding the central midfield while Hope plays up higher, that would be massive.
The one starter that isn’t back is Sample in goal, but I feel that whoever wins the battle between Cili and Jackson will be more than adequate, especially with such an experienced back four in front of them.