Nov. 22, 2008

Recap |  Box Score

Illinoi Head Coach Janet Rayfield
North Carolina 3, Illinois 0
NCAA Round of 16
Fetzer Field • Chapel Hill, N.C.

Opening statement...
"We came in here knowing Carolina was going to play at a pace that was faster than a lot of teams we've seen. That was true tonight. Their speed of play has to be one of the tops in the country. At times when we could match that, the game was super competitive. I'm proud of my team for the way they battled. We stepped on the field and said we're going to play. This is a team that part way through the season wasn't sure they were going to make the Big Ten Tournament and this senior class turned that around and got us to the Sweet 16. I'm proud of them for the way they have battled to get themselves to this point and I'm proud of the way they battled tonight."

On goalkeeper Alexandra Kapicka's play in the first half...
"She has been our one and only goalkeeper this season. You would think that someone like that would feel the pressure of being the only keeper as we went through this. She's not only dealt with the pressure of being the only keeper, but also the pressure of being a keeper who hadn't started and hadn't played a lot of college games to one who was in the lime light and up for a national player of the year award. She's handled all of that with extreme poise and I thought the way she played the first half showed that she has continued to handle that. The saves she made (in the first half) were two of the finest saves of her career. She's done a great job not just tonight, but throughout the season for us."

On UNC's defensive pressure...
"With the athleticism on Carolina's team you don't have any room to make a bad touch or any room to take an extra second to make a decision. They make you play faster than you want to play. There were times we miss-hit a ball because we were playing faster than we wanted to. In terms of frustration, I thought we didn't let that bother us that much, but it interrupted our ability to really create an attack. There were times, especially in the second half where we strung a sequence of passes together and created a couple of chances. If we'd have played that way maybe the entire game we could have created more chances."

On facing her alma mater...
"It's a lot of mixed emotions. It's tremendous to be back here. As a coach, the more you respect a program, the more significance it has to compete against that program and potentially beat that program. The opportunity to play here and play against one of the most storied programs is tremendous. To have been a part of that story makes it even a more significant opportunity for me. It's a unique opportunity for (the team) as well. They know that I was once in their shoes, but to actually see the record of that means there is a connection for them that was enjoyable for both of us."