Tough test up first for Illinois soccer

Aug. 13—Katie Hultin is about to officially start her second season as Illinois soccer coach, with Thursday's opener against No. 19 Georgia up first at Demirjian Park. The Illini coach discussed her team in detail on 'The News-Gazette Sports Page' on Monday night: Where does the team stand with the season starting on Thursday night against Georgia? "We have a solid group of returners, which is really nice, but I think definitely going through a few growing pains just dealing with kind of a brand-new midfield and some new backs. But, for the most part, pretty pleased with the work the team has put in with very focused energy." How does last year's success — 13 wins and an NCAA tournament appearance — translate into this season for your current group? "I think last year just sort of helped us set a standard of what we want to do every year and also gives us quite a bit of confidence. This year, obviously, the team is a little bit different, and our schedule is a lot different. We have a much more difficult schedule this year. I do think our experience last year will really help drive us in the right direction." How has your preparation for the season changed since this is your second season at Illinois? "Last year, everyone was drinking out of a fire hose — not just the players, but the coaches. We had 15 new faces last season, and that was insane. We had about one week to prepare for our first game. This year, we got two extra weeks, we only added nine players and three of them were transfers we felt pretty comfortable with. Just so different. We got to slow-play it a little bit, and it feels like we did it the right way. It's been really, really different. A little more, I wouldn't say relaxed, but just focused not so much on trying to get to know everybody, but focused on what we want to accomplish." What's it like for soccer to kick off every new school year? "It's always been that way in Division I soccer — where soccer is the first sport — but it's fun. You want to start the season off strong, the year off strong. You feel kind of a responsibility to start off strong. It's also fun for the community. People get to watch new sports — it's a whole new season." How did you approach building your nonconference schedule this time around? "Part of the nonconference schedule is put together by sheer contracts from years past. That's how we have the Georgia game. The other thing is we want top 100 RPI teams, so that's kind of what we went after. It gives us a better chance for postseason play if our season schedule, our strength of schedule, is strong. That was a big piece of it. It's also better for the Big Ten overall if we commit to a strong schedule. That was a big piece of it. We want to give ourselves the best chance possible to make an NCAA run, and you have to have a decent schedule." What does it mean to start the season with four straight home matches at Demirjian Park? "It's amazing. Last year, I think we only had (seven) home games, so to play all of those at the front half is awesome. We're really excited to see our fans show up. Last year, we had an amazing fan base, and I think we can continue to grow that. It's so nice to not have to be on the road much this year." How valuable is Izzy Lee at goalkeeper? "I would say it's a reason we can have this kind of schedule because we have confidence in her. She's got a little more pressure on her than she's ever had because she had such a good last year, and this is her final year and she's trying to go pro. She's got to deal, probably, with the mental side of it a little bit — the psychological side of the pressures of being great — but if there's anyone that's capable, it's her." What makes her such a productive goalie? "There's very few female humans in general that are over 6 feet tall and can move like her. Her ability to cover the frame and get up in the air — her mobility is unbelievable — and she's brave. Those are a couple things we can't coach. She's grown so much as a goalkeeper over the last four years, and her ceiling is so high. Her sheer athleticism with her size is spectacular." What might Thursday night be like for returning leading goal scorer Cayla Jackson since she used to play at Georgia? "I had a really good conversation with her (Monday) on going in and playing against her old team. That can come with some challenges, but also a little bit of motivation. I think she's really excited for that. I think she's done a lot of work over the summer to get herself in position where she can come in and be equally as impactful, if not more impactful, this year. She's more fit. She's more mobile. I think she's hungrier because she's got the confidence and the experience. We're hopeful she can produce some goals for us this year." How would you break down the Big Ten heading this fall? "I think Michigan State, they're the team to beat. UCLA is always going to be a team to beat, but Michigan State is pretty spectacular this year, and they were last year. I still think the Big Ten's going to be the top conference in the country in terms of RPI, top to bottom, and every single game is going to be an absolute battle." How do you avoid over preparation and play the match you want your team to play? "I think we're just so focused on us. That's our goal is to be more focused on us and figure out how we can beat them and not how we're going to not get beat. I think that's a big thing. Then take it one day at a time. You can't solve all the problems in one day. We're just trying to stack the days and get 1 percent better every day. That was our mentality last year was sort of one day at a time, and we're going to take that again into this year." Have you watched the new season of "Ted Lasso" yet? "I have the first episode downloaded on my iPad, and I was going to watch it the other night on our way back from Marquette, and then I watched too much film. I will get to it. It's my favorite show. It's one of the best leadership shows. There's so much coaching content in there when it comes to just belief and neutral thinking. I absolutely love 'Ted Lasso.'"