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Touching all the Bases

Getting defensive

Posted by: Jeff Huth

Monday, September 22, 2008 2:15 PM

If there's a signature aspect to Janet Rayfield's seven-year tenure as Illini women's soccer coach, it's the consistently stout and stingy defense exhibited by her teams. Look through the UI record book and you'll quickly realize the defensive categories are dominated by the work of her teams and players.
Out on the West Coast, the original Illini women's soccer coach is proving she can coach some D, too.
On the same day (Sunday) that Illinois recorded its 10th shutout in its last 11 home matches, Jillian Ellis' UCLA Bruins set a new school record for consecutive shutouts. By defeating New Mexico 3-0, No. 2 UCLA held a seventh straight opponent scoreless.
Through eight matches, her Bruins (7-0-1) have allowed one goal this season. And no UCLA opponent has found the back of the net during the last 688 minutes.
None of this should come as any surprise. The previous Bruins record for consecutive shutouts (six) was initially set under Ellis in 2000 and matched by another of her teams in 2005.
To be sure, Ellis' two Illini teams (1997 and ‘98) took their lumps at times on defense. But keep in mind that she was starting the program from scratch. Now in her 10th season at the UCLA helm, she's built the Bruins into a perennial national power. Her ability to coach defense - and motivate her teams to make it a priority - is a primary reason.
In that regard, Rayfield and Ellis have more than just their Illini ties in common.