CHAMPAIGN, IL

No one knew how the Illini would respond this fall after losing 12 seniors during the off season, some most notably Stephen Black, Doug Sutherland, Phil Dodson, all two time All-Americans, as well as Joe O’Malley, GRLC assist leader four years in a row, and Chris Fallon, the Illini’s 2009 most valuable player. But after three exciting weekends and two championships, the future for the Fighting Illini is looking brighter than ever. This fall season boasts a new coach, 15 new players, a NIU Classic Championship, and a Big Ten Shootout Championship.

The Fall season came to an exciting end with the Illini blasting through eight straight wins. First was the Northern Illinois University Fall Classic in which the Illini dominated both sides of the field. It was a beautiful weekend in DeKalb, Illinois where the Illini ended up outscoring their opponents four to one including a 9-1 Championship game against Loyola University. The Illini also topped University of Dayton, Division II 2009 National Runner-ups, 9-4 in their second game of the weekend. The weekend was filled with tremendous defense, outstanding transition play, and exciting offense from the Illini. Almost equally impressive is that the Illini were able to play four different goalies this weekend, including newcomer Matt Walker.

The following weekend found the Illini up against several conference opponents including Indiana and Wisconsin, who has recently been welcomed to the GRLC. It was an added pleasure for the Illini to be able to host the Big Ten Shootout in Champaign. A chilly morning became an amazing afternoon for lacrosse as the Illini wore orange and blue argyle shorts. The Illini proved to outplay the competition topping Ohio State’s Club team in the Championship game 7-4. The game proved to be a defensive battle with the first score coming late in the first quarter off of a broken OSU clear when attackman Scott Pfiffner found the back of the net. It was interesting seeing the differences between the two squads.  The Illini’s offense was much more deliberate possessing the ball for long strings of the game while OSU, a player coached team, played more off of transition and pure athleticism. “I love the Big Ten Tournament. I think that there is no better athletic conference in the nation and to be able to play these schools is an amazing experience.” said Phil Dodson. Notably absent from the tournament, however, were Michigan and Michigan State who would have surely given the Illini a run for the trophy. The win over OSU completed the Illini’s eight game win streak.

But the fall isn’t over for the Illini; they continue to practice in Champaign as long as the weather permits. As the spring season comes nearer, they are looking forward to the nationwide schedule which includes Michigan State, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Florida, and conference rival Lindenwood University, all of whom were ranked in the top 25 at the end or the 2009 season.