URBANA — Whistles blast, giggles and jokes finish up, bodies shuffle from the drinking fountain onto the DCR Complex field at the corner of Lincoln and Florida.

It's practice time for the Uni girls soccer team, but these young women are ready to run and focused on a prize despite the loss of five starting seniors from last year's squad.

"We have a good opportunity this year to bring back the conference championship to Uni," says varsity head coach Phil Anders.

Last season's Illineks, with a record of 11-6-2, stunned several teams, earning upset wins against Centennial and Charleston, both quality Class AA programs.

But Uni suffered a hard-fought one-goal loss in an East Central Illinois Conference matchup against Decatur Lutheran, which decided the ECIC champion. The year before Uni won that game and with it the conference title.

And it all starts Monday

Senior Joy Shapley led the team in assists in 2008. Gargoyle photos by Will Fernandez (click to enlarge)

Amanda Hwu (right), scrimmaging with Leah Brown, was a top varsity defender last season as a freshman. (click to enlarge)

Junior Sian Best was also a reliable defender last year. (click to enlarge)

Hwu and fellow sophomore Revathi Maturi go for the ball during a recent practice. (click to enlarge)

Senior Rachel Skoza, a star in volleyball and basketball, could be a game-changer this year as goalie. (click to enlarge)

Erika Belmont was second on the 2008 Illineks with seven goals. (click to enlarge)

The season begins Monday against rival St. Thomas More at First and Stadium, Champaign. The start to the season comes after a preseason shortened by a week.

Anders admits to the challenges this poses, but says there are "no excuses" in that all teams are in the same predicament.

"We have to work with what we are given," says Anders. "So far, the players have worked hard in the training sessions, our intra-squad games have had great intensity and some flashes of brilliance, and with a bit of further development we are absolutely ready meet any challenge."

Last year's team came back from a two-goal deficit to beat St. Thomas More 3-2.

Defensive stopper Amanda Hwu is confident that the Illineks can play well in the season opener.

"Over the past few weeks we have been able to bond as a team and work as a single unit," said the sophomore, who played varsity as a freshman. "Even though we lost a lot of good athletes, I think that we'll be ready to come out on Monday and kick some butt."

The next step

So will these girls be able to pick up where they left off last year?

"My attitude is that any time we take the field, we have a chance," says Anders. "We have a younger team this year, but our junior players have plenty of experience, and two of our three seniors are starting their third season of varsity play."

The team returns the three leading scorers from last year: juniors Michelle Wong and Erika Belmont, and senior Joy Shapley, who together accounted for 22 goals and 14 assists. A strong group of first-year players appears ready to contribute as well.

After last year's success, Uni girls soccer is seen as a much more serious program and is taking on even a tougher schedule that includes varsity games against both Central and Centennial.

"We are playing against much harder teams this season," Wong says. "Central's varsity will be a huge challenge. It would be great to beat Centennial again. But it's all fun."

A strong, young team

The Illineks this season may have only three seniors, but these girls are ready to step up and compete on the varsity level.

"We have a young team this year," says Anders, "but our freshmen and sophomore members are strong in numbers and athletic talent. The freshman class includes a couple of players that will have an immediate effect on our ability to win games. And all the incoming players have a great opportunity to learn and develop alongside of some of the best players in the area."

Shapley, who scored six goals and recorded a team-high 11 assists in 2008, is the only senior who has been a part of Uni soccer since her freshman year. She is ready to lead, though she acknowledges the challenges.

"It's difficult," she says. "I don't think I'm naturally a leader. But as a freshman I always appreciated seniors who took time to talk to me and help me out, so I've been trying to do the same thing."

Besides Shapley, Belmont, Hwu, and Wong, other returning varsity players include senior defender Annie Machesky and juniors Sian Best, Katie Buzard, Isaure Hostetter, and Elizabeth Russell.

A new face in goal

Last year the Illineks had three goalkeepers, but this year all three of them (alum Sarah Pfander and seniors Sheri Grill and Lor Sligar) are gone.

Over the past few weeks, Anders has been assessing several candidates for the position of the final line of defense. Freshman Jamie Blue and sophomore Eunjung Kim have both shown that they will be contributors. But the main surprise protecting the goal this season is senior Rachel Skoza.

Skoza has been a star athlete in both volleyball and basketball. Now she is taking her shot on the pitch in her first soccer season.

"Soccer has been a really good choice for me," the 6-foot-1 former track runner says. "It's a change. But this is senior year, and this is something new and exciting to do with some great friends."

If Skoza is able to excel at soccer like she has in other Uni sports, the Illineks' goal is in safe hands.

Michelle and Erika

Michelle Wong and Erika Belmont have shared many memorable moments on the soccer field. Ever since grade school, these two have played soccer with each other side by side.

So it was little surprise when the two finished up last year as the team's first and second scorers.

Wong, whose great strengths on the attack are her speed and quickness, led the Illineks with nine goals and had one assist. Belmont, meanwhile, netted seven goals and two assists.

For Belmont, the chemistry that she has developed with Michelle over their careers has been the key to their success.

"We've been on the same soccer team since fifth grade, so I think we understand each other's playing style pretty well and we feed off one another."

Whatever caused these two athletes to fall in love with soccer, it has given the Illineks one of the most powerful one-two punches in Uni girls soccer history.

Prospects grow stronger

Anders is now in his third year as girls head coach. He and the players are optimistic. They have put in the work and have continued to get better with each passing season. Anders took over a team that had gone 4-15 in 2006. In his first year the Illineks went 7-8-2, then improved to 11-6-2 in 2008.

Many of his players are involved in athletics throughout the year. Some play soccer year round.

Overall, says Anders, the young Illineks have shown great commitment to learning the game and developing their skills. Several participate in summer camps and play soccer with traveling teams.

"We have progressed every season," says Anders, "with players returning more experienced and stronger each season."

Come see for yourself when Uni and St. Thomas More kick off Monday.