Now entering her sixth season as head coach of the Fighting Illini, Janet Rayfield has established Illinois as one of the top soccer programs in the country. Year after year, her Illinois teams have broken school records and set new benchmarks for success. Most recently, Rayfield guided the 2006 squad to a school record-tying 16 wins, a top-10 ranking, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a berth in the Round of 16. That Illini team also became the first in the history of the Big Ten to boast the conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and the Freshman of the Year in Ella Masar (offensive), Emily Zurrer (co-defensive) and Chichi Nweke (freshman). In addition, Masar was named a second-team All-America selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, while Zurrer was a third-team selection by the NSCAA. The 2005 season was no different, despite entering the season with more question marks than in previous years. The Illini wasted no time answering those doubts, defeating No. 17 Nebraska 1-0 early in the season. The Orange and Blue proceeded to extend its streak of first-round Big Ten Tournament wins to seven and qualify for its third-straight NCAA Tournament and fifth in the last six years. Illinois defeated No. 20 Florida in the first round on the Gators' home field, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year. After the season, senior defender Christen Karniski became the most decorated Illini in school history, earning recognition as the Big Ten co-Defensive Player of the Year, second team All-American by the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz, and first team Scholar All-America by NSCAA among her 10 postseason awards. The Illini were just as successful in 2004 as Rayfield led her team to their best postseason record in school history, advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini finished the season with a record of 4-0 against the always-powerful Big 12 conference, which included a 2-1 come-from-behind upset over ninth-seeded Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The squad also set a school record for consecutive wins (7), with Tara Hurless earning All-America status for the second-straight year. In 2003, Rayfield led the Illini to the best season in the program's history with a 16-4-2 record, a top-10 national ranking, the program's first Big Ten Tournament title and a top-16 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In addition, the 2003 Illini featured two All-Americans in goalkeeper Leisha Alcia and forward Tara Hurless, a first for Illinois. For her efforts, Rayfield was named Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year by Soccer Buzz. Rayfield not only has a wealth of soccer experience but also a fierce determination to succeed and an immense amount of respect from her peers. Rayfield served as President of the NSCAA, an organization that includes over 16,000 members, in 2003-04. In addition, she continues to assist at the youth national team level whenever possible. A United States Soccer Federation `A' Licensed Coach, Rayfield was an assistant for Illinois in 1999 under former head coach Tricia Taliaferro and helped the Illini to a 12-8-1 record and the school's first-ever trip to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. That season, the Illini entered the NSCAA poll for the first time and climbed as high as No. 15. Rayfield returned to Illinois in 2002 after serving two years as a United States National Staff Coach for Region II. Her duties consisted of player identification, player development and coaching education within the region. During that time, she also served as a U-19 and U-16 National Team Assistant Coach. "Janet will be able to provide the kind of leadership and stability this team needs," Director of Athletics Ron Guenther said when Rayfield was hired in 2002. "She has exceptional contacts as both a player and a coach at the national and international level that will allow us to continue to develop this young program." In her playing days, Rayfield was one of the best. She played collegiately at the University of North Carolina from 1979-82 and helped build the program from the ground up. She led the Tar Heels to the 1981 AIAW National Championship and a 23-0 record in only their third year. That season, Rayfield took home the Nike Player of the Year award, All-America honors and was named one of the top 10 soccer players in America (male or female). In 1982, she led the Tar Heels to the first-ever NCAA women's soccer championship. That championship would be the first of 18 NCAA national titles in the storied history of the North Carolina program. During her career at North Carolina, Rayfield was a captain all four years and led the Tar Heels to an overall record of 73-9 in that span. She also left her mark all over the Carolina record books. Today she still ranks in the top three in seven different offensive categories, including holding the school records for most goals in a game (6) and most points in a game (12), both set against the Chapel Hill Club in 1979. She also currently ranks second to Mia Hamm in career goals with 93, third in career points with 223, third in single-season points with 74 in 1981 and tied for third in single-season goals with 30 in both 1979 and 1981. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences from North Carolina in 1983, Rayfield worked as a Senior Software Engineer for E-Systems in Garland, Texas, where she wrote numerous computer programs and worked her way up to management level. When she wasn't working, Rayfield was still heavily involved with the game she loves. She played seven seasons with the Ladies' Football Club in Dallas and was the captain on six of those squads, leading them to three National Titles in 1985, '87 and '89. During that same time, she was head coach of the Texas Spirit Soccer Club that won several Washington (D.C.) area and Dallas Cup titles. In 1990, Rayfield returned to the collegiate ranks to coach at the University of Arkansas. After three years as an assistant, she was named head coach at Arkansas in January of 1993. In six seasons at the helm of the Razorback program, she coached the 1996 SEC West Champions, two SEC tournament finalists, four All-Region players, six All-SEC players, and 27 Academic All-SEC performers while compiling an overall record of 45-64-7. At Arkansas, Rayfield earned a Master of Science in Exercise Science/Biomechanics and also served as a USYSA Olympic Development staff coach and as a scout for both the U.S. Women's World Cup and Olympic teams. While doing all of this, she was still able to continue her playing career, as she led the Dallas Sting Soccer Club to the Over-30 National Championship in 1993. Rayfield currently resides in Champaign and is working toward a Doctor of Philosophy in Exercise Physiology at the University of Illinois.
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