Emily Zurrer: The Fighting Illini

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Oh Canada, Oh Canada, What great things do you bring to the U.S.? Well, I do not know the exact answer to that but what I do know is that it definitely contributed Emily Zurrer to our Great Women’s Soccer Program! This Canadian Defender stood out greatly on the University of Illinois’ Women’s Soccer Team. In her Junior year at Illinios, Emily shutout ?No. 9 Florida that earned her honors for Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and Soccer America Team of the Week,?was made the Soccer Buzz All-Great Lakes Region first team,Named All-Big Ten first team,Earned a spot on the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region second team,Named to the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy preseason watch list ,Also named to Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season second team. For the 2008 season, she scored 4 goals as a defender!, talk about multi-talented. In her senior year, Emily started on the back line for the Canadian Women’s National Team at the Beijing Olympics. Emily Zurrer had a successful experience in all of the 4 years at University of Illinois. Emily Zurrer is definitely one of the top defenders from Canada and wasn’t Illinois happy about that?

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Well ?to answer that, here is what her coach,Coach Rayfield, wrote about Emily (below)

Coach Rayfield-

“An anchor, a leader, a problem solver … You could call Emily Zurrer any one of those things. As we solidify our defense this fall, there is no doubt that Emily Zurrer will be one of the key pieces of the foundation of that defense. Her vast experiences, which will now include the 2008 Olympic Games, provide her the instinctive awareness and game savvy to organize and lead. At the same time, her athletic ability and competitive mentality really shine in times of danger and she seems to come from nowhere to thwart dangerous opportunities. Playing next to Danielle Kot, who excels at holding and organizing, Emily should also find the freedom to go forward and find times to be the one creating danger as opposed to thwarting it.”?

Luckily we got an interview with Emily, check it out!

MessGirl-For the 2008 Season you guys got to the Third Round in the NCAA Tournament losing 0-3 to UNC. How do you think your team did against this “powerhouse”?
Emily Zurrer-Well obviously UNC has a history of being a powerhouse in women’s NCAA soccer, so we knew that we were going up against an extremely talented opponent going into the game. While we had our chances, North Carolina was able to finish theirs, and that was the main difference in the game. Overall they deserved to win, but I was extremely proud of the way our team battled and played with heart throughout the whole game.

MessGirl-Going Way back, when you were in high school, Why did you choose to play at Illinois
Emily Zurrer-I knew that I wanted to go to college in the states because you really can?t beat the NCAA for women?s college soccer. The level is higher for div. 1 college soccer than in Canada and the money that they put into college sports here is unmatchable. I talked to a ton of coaches and took official visits to about 4 different colleges around the country. When I got to Illinois I can?t really explain it but it just felt right. I loved the coaches and the team and just the whole atmosphere here at Illinois, and the fact that the academics were great as well just made the decision to come that much easier.

MessGirl-What are your plans for after college?
Emily Zurrer-Well I definitely want to continue playing for at least a few more years. I plan to play in Chicago this summer and then professionally in Australia in the fall, and then hopefully professionally either in Europe or the US next year. It is definitely a goal of mine to play in the 2012 Olympics as well as the next Women?s World Cup.

MessGirl-On the Athletic website for Illinois it says that you started on the back line for the Canadian Women’s National Team at the Beijing Olympics, how was that experience?
Emily Zurrer-Incredible. The Olympics were truly everything I had ever imagined and more. Growing up it was always my goal to make it to the Olympic Games one day, and to actually be chosen to represent my country at the most prestigious athletic event in the world was surreal. I had to pinch myself a few times while I was there to make sure I wasn?t dreaming!

MessGirl-As a defender, What are your strengths and what are somethings you want to improve on?
Emily Zurrer-My ability in the air is one of my strengths as well as my aggressiveness on the field. I?m not afraid to get dirty or bruised up if it means winning the ball. Something I would like to improve on would be my diagonal ball distribution with both feet (becoming more consistent) and also consistency finishing on set pieces.?

MessGirl-Do you plan on playing professional soccer after college?
Emily Zurrer-Yes definitely, for at least a few years or until after the next Olympics. If I can get paid to play soccer why would I need a ?real? job J

MessGirl-How would you describe your experience at UIllinois and what from your experience will you take with you where ever you go?
Emily Zurrer-Amazing, I wouldn?t change anything about my college experience. Each experience whether on the field or off, good and bad, made me into the player and person that I am today. College soccer comes with a ton of highs but with it also comes the lows, and those experiences all made me a stronger player and leader on the field. I have learned many things both soccer specific as well as life lessons from my coach Janet Rayfield that I will never forget. But most of all the people and teammates that I have grown to know and love have had the biggest impact on me and will be what I miss the most when I leave.

MessGirl-What are your feelings on this quote “Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple.” (quote from coolsmart.com)?Some people say soccer is easy to play and some say it’s not. What do you think?

Emily Zurrer-Well in theory, soccer is a fairly simple sport. All you have to do really is kick the ball down the field and into the opposing net. But just like any other sport, there is a lot more that goes into the game then what it sounds like on paper. I think anyone that plays the sport at a high level can agree that it is not easy by any means. When you put so much into the game, when it is your life like it is for players like me who are in college or professional, there is so much emotion that goes into the game. Whoever said that soccer is 90% mental and only 10% physical was a pretty smart man or woman. Things are not always going to go your way in the game and it is how you deal with that adversity that will make you a great player.

MessGirl-Who is your favorite soccer player? (female or male)
Emily Zurrer-English national team player Kelly Smith and Argentina?s Lionel Messi

MessGirl-Is there a different style of playing in the U.S. and in Canada for soccer and if so how?
Emily Zurrer-U.S and Canadian soccer are definitely two different styles?well at least they used to be before we got a new coach (a few months ago). Canadian soccer used to be more of a long ball style with smothering defensive shape and presence, while American soccer was more possession style. Now that we have a new Italian head coach, Carolina Morace, she is bringing more of a possession style mentality to our team. So we are adapting a similar style to the U.S, although I don?t think we will ever lose our extremely physical play that Canadians have always been known for.

MessGirl-What advice would you give out to soccer players who want to play soccer in college?
Emily Zurrer-Contact coaches of schools that you want to play at and ask them to come watch you play. When I was in high school I was hesitant at first to send coaches letters because I didn?t want to bother them, but trust me, they get hundreds a week and sometimes that is the only way then can find out about you.?Work hard and never give up on your dreams. When it seems like things are tough, or you feel like you may not be good enough, persevere. My career has been full of ups and downs, every athlete?s is, but if you work through the lows and disappointments of your career, the rewards will be that much greater. And when you are so tired that you think you can?t possibly make another run or do another set of cones, trust me, you can. ((just ask my coach! ))

Well, Emily, an alumni of University of Illinois, hopes to continue soccer in the future and we wish her good luck! Writers at boxofmess.com say thank you to Emily for doing the interview with us. We hope to watch her play soccer on TV again and that she will have just as much success off the field as on.

Note- All interviews are done through Facebook/Myspace/Call/Text/Email/Etc. All people are REAL. No fakes here!

photo thanks to grfx.cstv.com
info thanks to University of Illinois athletics site

MessGirl