University of Minnesota Athletics
Super Seven Spotlight: Senior Julie Rezac
9/8/2010 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
In an eight-part series , Gophersports.com will profile each of the team's seven seniors along with the program's longtime student manager. This week, we profile the versatile Julie Rezac.
A senior midfielder who has appeared in 70 career games, Julie Rezac returns to the pitch in 2010 as one of Minnesota's most experienced student-athletes.
One of several members of this year's senior class to be thrown into the lineup as true freshman in 2007, Rezac started all 19 games in her freshman campaign as a midfielder and defender. And she didn't wait long to make an impact, scoring her first-career goal in Minnesota's 4-1 win over Dartmouth in the Dartmouth Invitational title game (9/9/07). Rezac made the move to defense in the final five games of the season were she was one of three freshman defenders that formed one of the most successful back lines in program history. The Minnesota defense, which also featured freshmen Kylie Kallman and Jennie Clark, allowed just three goals in the final five games of the year and shutout No. 8 Penn State --one of the top offensive teams in the country.
"Julie has given so much to our program over the past three years," Minnesota head coach Mikki Denney Wright said. "She has been able to impact the game from several different positions on the field because of her overall talent and versatility."
Instrumental to Minnesota's success off the field as much as on it, Rezac posted a perfect 4.0 GPA as a sophomore and earned her first of two-straight Academic All-Big Ten accolades. That same year, she helped Minnesota earn its first Big Ten title since 1997 and tallied the game-winning goal in the Gophers 2-1 win over Marquette in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. The goal and the win advanced Minnesota to its first-ever Sweet Sixteen.
Finding the back of the net when it mattered most continued with the 2009 season when Rezac tallied the game winner in a 3-2 Minnesota win over UW-Milwaukee on 9/11/09. While the scoring strike was her only goal of the season, Rezac would finish her junior campaign as one of Minnesota's top point getters. Through 70 career games, Rezac has recorded 18 career points (four goals, 10 assists).
"Julie has always been an ironwoman for us, starting almost every game of her career as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She has played a very important role for our team on the field and off the field has been a wonderful teammate, a compassionate leader, and fantastic student, Denney Wright said. "We are proud that Julie has been part of the Minnesota Soccer program and we are excited to watch all her success in the future."
