Long-time Illinois soccer head coach Janet Rayfield retires

Illinois soccer head coach Janet Rayfield announced her retirement on Wednesday after 23 years with the Illini.

According to a news release, Rayfield will stay on until her successor is in place, which one would believe is before the 2025 fall season.

Rayfield was named head coach in 2002 and led the Illini to 10 NCAA Tournaments and two Big Ten Tournament titles.

She has 234 career wins — the most in program history — but Illinois has fallen off in recent years, culminating with missing the Big Ten Tournament this year.

“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,” Rayfield said in a statement. “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.”

Rayfield played collegiately at North Carolina.

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