Illinois Soccer head coach Janet Rayfield retires after 23 seasons at the helm

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Head Coach Janet Rayfield has announced her retirement after 23 seasons at the helm of Illinois Soccer. Rayfield will stay on until her successor is in place, allowing for a seamless program transition.

Rayfield was named the third head coach of Fighting Illini Soccer in 2002. She guided the Orange and Blue to a total of 10 NCAA Tournaments – highlighted by four trips to the Round of 16 and culminating in a 2004 Quarterfinal appearance – while also capturing two Big Ten Tournament Titles. Rayfield stands as the winningest coach in program history, amassing an overall record of 234-183-45.

“There is a quote that reads, ‘In any moment, joy can co-exist with grief or sorrow and laughter can share space with pain.’ I am retiring with great joy and in celebration of all this program has given me,” Rayfield said. “I am extremely grateful to Josh Whitman and his predecessors for the privilege of leading this program for the last 23 years and the opportunity to be part of the best athletic department in college sports. I depart with an equal measure of sadness and angst knowing how much I will miss the athletes and the comradery that comes from being a part of such a special program. Many things have aligned in my life, here at Illinois, and in the world of college athletics to make this the right time for me to step aside.”

“I leave confident that this program will achieve more great things, and I am excited for the future of Illinois Women’s Soccer,” Rayfield continued. “An integral part of that belief is Demirjian Park, and I want to take this opportunity to personally thank the Demirjian Family for helping realize a long-lasting dream and enabling me to spend the last years of my career going to work every day at the best women’s soccer facility in the Big Ten. I want to specifically thank Jeff Freeman for being the best and most loyal associate head coach for the last 14 years, and our academic advisor Shari Clapp for being beside me for the last 23 years making sure that our students had the opportunity to succeed both on and off the field. And I am so thankful and grateful to all the athletes, assistant coaches, administrators, support staff, and facility crews that I have had along the way who have made this the best job every single day of my career.”

During her Illinois career, Rayfield produced seven All-Americans, seven Big Ten Players of the Year, 17 All-Big Ten First Team and 50 overall All-Big Ten selections. Seven players were drafted to play professional soccer in America, while 10 players she coached went on to make their senior debuts with their national team.

“Janet Rayfield is a legend in the sport of soccer, and a transformative leader we are so fortunate to have had directing our program these past 23 seasons,” Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman said. “She is a pioneer; one of the first college stars as women’s soccer transitioned from AIAW to the NCAA, and whose accomplishments as a player have withstood the test of time. She then dedicated more than three decades to the coaching profession, impacting the lives of thousands of young women along the way. I have so much respect for her leadership, how she inspires her teams, and the lasting relationships she builds with her athletes. On behalf of the University of Illinois and the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, I want to congratulate Coach Rayfield on a transcendent career leading Illinois Soccer and thank her for the lasting impact she has made on our program, in the community, and across the sport.”

Rayfield quickly turned the Illini into a national power, reaching the NCAA Tournament 10 times in her first 12 seasons.

In 2003, just her second season in charge, Rayfield took Illinois to new heights, compiling a 16-4-2 record and winning the program’s first-ever Big Ten Tournament championship. The Illini earned the No. 16 national seed in the NCAA Tournament, while goalkeeper Leisha Alcia and forward Tara Hurless became the first-two Illini named All-Americans. Rayfield was recognized as Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.

Rayfield continued that success in 2004, when Illinois matched the prior year’s win total (16) while advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

Her 2006 squad again recorded 16 wins, earning a fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, including a No. 3 seed in the Santa Clara Regional. Illinois won a program-record eight Big Ten games and became the first team in conference history to have players named Big Ten Offensive (Ella Masar), Defensive (Emily Zurrer) and Freshman (Chichi Nweke) of the Year.

In 2008, Rayfield took Illinois to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five seasons, with Emily Zurrer becoming the first Illini to earn All-America honors three years in a row. Thanks to the development of the Women’s Professional Soccer league, Ella Masar, Mary Therese McDonnell, and Christen Karniski became the first-three Illini drafted to play professionally.  Rayfield also gained valuable coaching experience in the summer prior to the college season, serving as an assistant with the U.S. Women’s National Team for two matches.

Rayfield’s first decade of leadership at Illinois culminated in one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2011, with the Illini earning a record of 17-5-2, the Big Ten Tournament title and another NCAA Tournament appearance. During the 24-game schedule, the Orange and Blue notched a program-best eight-game winning streak and 12-game unbeaten mark, with the 17 victories ranking as a school record. In total, more than 70 individual and team awards were handed out to the Orange and Blue during the 2011 season.

In 2012, following a ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 seasons, Rayfield made history by becoming the first female coach to receive the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Honor Award. Presented annually since 1942, the Honor Award is the most prestigious distinction the organization bestows for an individual’s contribution to the game of soccer. Rayfield also served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Women’s U-20 National Team that won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.

Rayfield took Illinois to its fourth NCAA Tournament third-round appearance in 2013, thanks to her development of Big Ten Forward of the Year Jannelle Flaws and All-American Vanessa DiBernardo. Flaws led the nation with a program-record 23 goals, while DiBernardo would go on to be selected No. 4 overall in the 2014 NWSL Draft by the Chicago Red Stars, the program’s highest-ever draft pick.

In 2015, Rayfield again received recognition for her contributions to the game by the NSCAA, earning the Women’s Soccer Award of Excellence.

Rayfield welcomed in a new era of Illinois Soccer in 2021, when the newly completed Demirjian Park ushered in the 25th season of the program. The facility has become a destination location for training and competition by elite and youth athletes from across the state and the Midwest, drawing participants, their families, and fans into the Champaign-Urbana communities.

A trailblazer of women’s soccer, Rayfield was the first-ever recruit of legendary North Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance. In her junior year in 1981, she led the Tar Heels to the AIAW Championship and 23-0 record. 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). As a senior in 1982, she led UNC to the first-ever NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship, sparking what would become one of the greatest dynasties in all of sports. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical Sciences from North Carolina in 1983.

Rayfield’s dominance at North Carolina has withstood the test of time, as she still holds program records in goals in a single game (6), points in a single game (12) and goals per game in a season (2.5). Rayfield also ranks second in goals (93) and third in points (223) in Tar Heel history.

Following college, Rayfield worked as a senior software engineer for E-Systems in Garland, Texas, while playing with the Ladies’ Football Club in Dallas, captaining the squad and leading it to three titles.

She became an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas in 1990 and after three seasons was named Arkansas head coach in 1993. During her six seasons in charge of the Razorbacks program she coached the 1996 SEC West Champions, two SEC tournament finalists, four all-region players, six all-conference players, and 27 academic all-conference performers while compiling an overall record of 45-64-7.

At Arkansas, Rayfield earned a master’s degree in exercise science/biomechanics and served as a USYSA Olympic Development staff coach and as a scout for the U.S. Women’s World Cup team.

Rayfield then came to Illinois for one year in 1999 to assist head coach Tricia Taliaferro. During that season, the Illini posted a 12-8-2 record and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in school history. Prior to returning to Illinois in 2002 as head coach, Rayfield spent two years as a United States National Staff Coach for Region II while also serving as a U-19 and U-16 National Team Assistant Coach.