URBANA — It's hard to believe, but the Uni boys soccer regular season is more than half over. So far, the 2009 campaign has had its share of ups and downs, but the high points have definitely been memorable for head coach Philip Anders and his players.

Outscoring their opponents 55-13 in 12 games, the Illineks have put together a 6-4-2 varsity record on the eve of Thursday's matchup against Class 2A Champaign Central.

Senior Dan Lilly leads the team on offense with 22 goals. On Sept. 12, he broke the Uni career goal-scoring record of 62 set by Tyson Masar from 1997 to 2000. With a current total of 64 and at least seven more games left, Lilly is sure to set the bar high for the players who succeed him. One of those successors will be Patrick Wong, who as a freshman is second on the varsity with 11 goals and 10 assists.

On defense, the Illineks have recorded five shutouts. Led by goalkeeper Nile Hamer and defensive stalwarts such as seniors Neil Pearson, Jasper Maniates-Selvin, and junior Mike Zhivov, they also held the prolific Blue Ridge scoring tandem of Kevin Price and Jonathon Malone to a single goal when the teams faced each other in the Uni High Soccer Shoot Out on Aug. 29. Uni and Blue Ridge deadlocked 1-1, with the Illineks earning the tourney championship on a tie-breaker.

The junior varsity team, meanwhile, has compiled a 2-5-1 record. Sophomore Dax Earl is the leading scorer with five goals, while junior Ian Slauch has taken care of most of the goalkeeping duties. Sophomore keeper Chris Nguyen has seen action for both the JV and varsity.

The IHSA Class 1A postseason is slated to begin in mid-October. The Illineks will find out their seed and schedule within a few days. Stay tuned!

In the meantime check out this slideshow, which features both varsity and JV players giving their all on the playing field.