Merit (Elzey) Stloukal is in her third season on the Northern Illinois coaching staff and will continue to work with goalkeepers.

Over the past two season, Stloukal has mentored Lindsey Curnock, who shattered the school record for career shutouts with 16. In 2007, Curnock posted a goals against average of 0.53 while NIU goalies combined for a mark of 0.70.

Under Stloukal's guidance in 2006, Curnock, then a freshman, recorded seven shutouts, including a stretch of three consecutive shutout victories to help lead the Huskies to a berth in the MAC Championship Game.

Stloukal has local ties as a member of the St. Charles High School powerhouse teams from 1991-94. There the goalie earned Parade Magazine All-America accolades and collected several all-state honors before a stellar four-year career in net for Indiana University.

As a prep player, Stloukal was a key figure behind coach Tim Dailey's 1992 and 1994 state championship units, while the 1993 unit finished third. Including a 27-0-1 mark in 1994, Stloukal posted a four-year record of 91-8-9 (.884) for the Saints. Her maiden name (Elzey) can still be found throughout the IHSA records section ranking No. 2 for most shutouts (24) in a single season (1994) and No. 3 for most career whitewashes (66).

Stloukal's four letter-winning campaigns at Indiana included first team All-Big Ten honors in 1995 and second team accolades in 1996, with All-Great Lakes Region standing in both of those years. She left IU as the school's all-time record holder for saves (442) and victories (35), and ranks second in shutouts (14). Stloukal had a career-high 6.5 shutouts in 1996 en route to guiding the Hoosiers to their first-ever NCAA Tourney appearance. Her seasonal shutouts rank third, ninth, and 10th.

After Indiana, Stloukal protected the nets for the Chicago Cobras from 1996-2001 and was a member of the Cobras unit which was the national runner-up in 1997 and the national champion for 2000.

Stloukal began her coaching career as a varsity volunteer and goalkeeper trainer for St. Charles East High School from the spring of 1999 to 2001. During the fall of 2002, she served as co-coach of the St. Charles Strikers' Under-13 Club squad, which accumulated a number of tourney titles and runner-up finishes.

Her youth soccer resume includes working as the goalkeeper and team trainer for the Tri-Cities Soccer Club at various levels from fall of 2003 to the spring of 2004.

From spring 2002 through 2006, Stloukal was the varsity assistant and goalie coach for the St. Charles North High School program which claimed IHSA regional titles in four consecutive campaigns with a second-place Class AA finish in 2004.

Stloukal earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Indiana in 1994. She is married to Byron Stloukal of St. Charles, the couple has a son Mason, 7, and a daughter, Meleah, 4.