Northwestern University Athletics
Getting to Know: Layth Masri
10/28/2015 10:44:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Senior Layth Masri has had an interesting career with the Northwestern men's soccer program. A sixth-year senior, Masri lost each of the last two seasons prior to the 2015 season due to injury and missed the first half of this season to an injury suffered last spring.
After earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors in 2010, Masri started 31 games over his sophomore and junior seasons to lead the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles and a Big Ten Tournament championship in 2011. He was named a team captain and a Big Ten Player to Watch in 2013 only to miss the entire season to injury. Unable to return to the pitch as a team captain again in 2014, Masri was granted a waiver by the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and is taking advantage of the opportunity this season.
The Louisville, Kentucky native returned to the pitch on Oct. 10 against SIU-Edwardsville and has started each of the last four games. He picked up his first point since 2012 - an assist against Rutgers - and moved to the back line to help solidify the Wildcats defense that posted a 1-0 shutout over Michigan State last weekend for a key Big Ten win.
We sat down with Layth to ask him a few questions about his experience at Northwestern, what he is bringing to the table and how another Big Ten championship would be a perfect ending to his career.
What are you going to remember most of your time at Northwestern?
"I'll mostly remember the good things, the good times. Obviously I was a part of two teams that won Big Ten championships. Those are great memories. All the guys I've played with... practicing day in and day out and just grinding with them every season. Those are the things that you're going to miss when you're out in the real world and you can't do those kind of things anymore.
What have you learned from past injuries that have allowed you to use in your leadership role this season?
"I think I've been in a unique position where I'm a third-year senior and a third-year captain. I've definitely learned some things along the way about being a liaison between the players and the coaches. I'm probably the only player in Northwestern history that has had that opportunity, so I've definitely learned a lot about leadership and managing people."
What was it that attracted you to Northwestern during your recruiting process?
"At the time, it was a Top-10 program that had some success. They were a program on the rise, so that was very enticing. Northwestern is a great school and a great city. I liked the guys a lot on my visit and it seemed like they had really good chemistry."
How valuable is the education you've received at Northwestern going to be for you moving forward?
"You can't compare it to anything. It's something to value and definitely something without soccer I'm not sure would have been possible. I'm very thankful for that."
What would be the perfect ending to your career at Northwestern?
"We are very happy that we are in a position to play for a Big Ten championship. That is the goal every year and we've come down to the wire here and put us in a position to compete for a Big Ten championship. If we were able to manage that, it would be the ultimate accomplishment and a great way to end my career."
After earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors in 2010, Masri started 31 games over his sophomore and junior seasons to lead the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Ten regular season titles and a Big Ten Tournament championship in 2011. He was named a team captain and a Big Ten Player to Watch in 2013 only to miss the entire season to injury. Unable to return to the pitch as a team captain again in 2014, Masri was granted a waiver by the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and is taking advantage of the opportunity this season.
The Louisville, Kentucky native returned to the pitch on Oct. 10 against SIU-Edwardsville and has started each of the last four games. He picked up his first point since 2012 - an assist against Rutgers - and moved to the back line to help solidify the Wildcats defense that posted a 1-0 shutout over Michigan State last weekend for a key Big Ten win.
We sat down with Layth to ask him a few questions about his experience at Northwestern, what he is bringing to the table and how another Big Ten championship would be a perfect ending to his career.
What are you going to remember most of your time at Northwestern?
"I'll mostly remember the good things, the good times. Obviously I was a part of two teams that won Big Ten championships. Those are great memories. All the guys I've played with... practicing day in and day out and just grinding with them every season. Those are the things that you're going to miss when you're out in the real world and you can't do those kind of things anymore.
What have you learned from past injuries that have allowed you to use in your leadership role this season?
"I think I've been in a unique position where I'm a third-year senior and a third-year captain. I've definitely learned some things along the way about being a liaison between the players and the coaches. I'm probably the only player in Northwestern history that has had that opportunity, so I've definitely learned a lot about leadership and managing people."
What was it that attracted you to Northwestern during your recruiting process?
"At the time, it was a Top-10 program that had some success. They were a program on the rise, so that was very enticing. Northwestern is a great school and a great city. I liked the guys a lot on my visit and it seemed like they had really good chemistry."
How valuable is the education you've received at Northwestern going to be for you moving forward?
"You can't compare it to anything. It's something to value and definitely something without soccer I'm not sure would have been possible. I'm very thankful for that."
What would be the perfect ending to your career at Northwestern?
"We are very happy that we are in a position to play for a Big Ten championship. That is the goal every year and we've come down to the wire here and put us in a position to compete for a Big Ten championship. If we were able to manage that, it would be the ultimate accomplishment and a great way to end my career."
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