It's Lady's Day!

There's a reason I decided to use this picture, and it's not just so the most mature among you could laugh about shots to the face. Female athletes are sometimes labeled not as tough as their male counterparts. Well, I can tell you the story is quite different from that. Girls are just as mean and fierce as male athletes, and that's why every Thursday will feature at least one post on women's sports here at the U of I. This week I'm talking about soccer.

The season ended last month in a Sweet 16 defeat for the Illini at the hands of Florida St., ending the best season in school history. However, two Illini still had to clear some room for hardware. The National Soccer Coaches Association named Junior Ella Masar to the second team and sophomore Emily Zuerrer to the third team. In addition, Masar was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Zurrer was named Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

The season's biggest news also came in the last month, as Masar was invited to the U.S. Under-21 training camp. She became just the second Illini to be named to the team, following in the footsteps 2004's Tara Hurless. Zurrer has also played on an international stage as a defender for the Canadian U-20 team. But...you know...it's Canada. The team was probably too busy being commie pinko liberals to win any games, eh.

Next season is looking bright for the Illini, as all but four of the current roster are coming back for the 2007 season, including the top two and three of the top five goal scorers. The only unexpected loss thus far was the announcement that Asst. Coach Dale Armstrong was leaving the program to be near family. In the mean time, the Illini will need to look for a temporary replacement to keep the team on its toes.

May I suggest Jon McGuirk?

Women's Players Earn All-American Honors (DailyIllini.com)

Masar Invited to U-21 Training Camp (FightingIllini.com)