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Preseason Poll: Chicagoland Soccer First 50

By Patrick Z. McGavin, 03/13/23, 9:15AM CDT

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Presented by the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association

Metea Valley was always an insurgent program.

The Mustangs tended to be overshadowed in its home area by conference rivals Naperville North and Naperville Central, and Benet.

The school was the third in the district that formed out of the explosive growth of Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools.

Those two programs had state championship equity in their glittering portfolios.

Metea Valley was a team seemingly destined to always occupy a specific perch, good, sometimes very good, on the verge of consequence, only to see the ultimate prize elude them.

Not anymore.

In the astonishing aftermath of the Mustangs’ riveting penalty shootout Class 3A state championship victory over Barrington last June at North Central College, Metea Valley is now the team everyone is chasing.

Metea Valley has six returning starters, and most significantly, its top three scorers from last year. The leader is North Central recruit Jordan Lange, the reigning Chicagoland Soccer Player of the Year.

She was the orchestrator of the attack, amassing 17 goals and eight assists, providing a perfect outlet for two other all-state talents in forwards Tyra King and Lucy Burk.

That amazing triple option meant the Mustangs had no holes in their lineup. You could shut down Lange, or focus attention on Burk or King, but a select few had the talent and depth to neutralize all three players.

Now Metea Valley opens the new season where it left off, the top-ranked team in the First 50, the exclusive Chicagoland Soccer preseason poll of the state’s best teams, regardless of class, location or private or public status.

The tables have definitely turned. Metea Valley has gone from the insurgent and patented underdog to the team to dethrone.

“I will like the no. 1 (ranking), but that won’t stop us from working to stay in that spot all season long,” Lange said

Barrington, which arguably had the better and more consistent play in the 100 minutes during the state championship game, returns the core of that team.

The Fillies sit just behind the Mustangs.

Even more so than the boys side, the top girls programs tend to remain in their elite group year after year.

Two years ago downstate power O’Fallon ended the dominant run of Naperville North, Barrington and New Trier from their hammerlock on the large schools’ state championships.

Those programs remain where they always are, right in the mix, as the new season kicks off.

The past is always prologue with girls soccer. The best teams tend to feature the best players, face the toughest schedules, play in elite conferences and get invited to the best tournaments.

Given that, some surprises are undoubtedly in store. The competition is steep.

Given that, after the regular-season begins, there are more good teams than slots available in the two primary weekly polls conducted by Chicagoland Soccer — the Top  25 of the Chicago-area programs, and the Illinois 10 that features the best that reside outside that area.

With the large schools dominating both polls, Chicagoland Soccer will continue what we started last fall with two specialized polls, a Super 7 list for Class A and Class AA that recognizes schools caught in the middle.

Come back at the start of every week for those four polls.

Week 1 - Top 50 Girls Poll

Rk PR Team W L T Comment
1 1 Metea V 22 2 1 Top 3 scorers from title team return
2 2 Barrington 23 3 3 Loaded w/ depth, talent and skill
3 21 Plainfield N 16 4 4 Roster features elite college prospects
4 4 Lyons 20 2 0 Experienced, tough and savvy
5 23 New Trier 12 8 5 Trevians looking for a big rebound
6 5 LWC 25 2 0 8 starters from state finals team
7 10 Oswego E 18 3 0 8 starters from historic sectional qualifier
8 18 SC East 20 5 2 7 starters back from supersectional qualifier
9 17 SC North 19 3 0 8 starters return from sectional finalist
10 12 Benet 22 5 1 Skilled, nucleus back from AA state finalist
11 14 Deerfield 23 4 2 AA 3rd place finisher can score
12 3 Naperville N 19 3 3 DeCook sisters lead Huskies’ reload
13 6 Evanston 21 4 1 4th place finisher loaded w/ speed, athleticism
14 11 Loyola 18 5 1 Ramblers are physical, talented and deep
15 31 ND (Quincy) 23 3 3 Return entire team from Class A state titleists
16 9 Naperville C 15 3 1 New coach Troy Adams led boys champions
17 11 Triad 25 1 0 2-time defending AA state champions
18 44 Lemont 19 5 0 Returns its lineup virtually intact
19 42 Lockport 16 7 1 4 club players bolster talented roster
20 8 Glenbrook N 20 2 1 Spartans loaded w/ great young talent
21 16 Edwardsville 15 8 0 Tigers return skill from supersectional qualifier
22 13 O’Fallon 20 2 0 Panthers are fast, athletic and dangerous offensively
23 7 Libertyville 17 4 2 Wildcats rebuild w/ youth, athleticism
24 20 Stevenson 16 3 1 New coach gets roster loaded w/ talent
25 32 Althoff 21 6 2 Top Class A program from South is back
26 35 Glenwood 20 4 0 Skilled, tough, great individual talent
27 36 CL Central 16 3 0 An emerging power w/ fantastic young talent
28 40 Carmel 12 6 1 Highly skilled attacking players boost Corsairs
29 26 Fremd 12 7 3 Young talent looks for rapid improvement
30 41 Richmnd-Brtn 23 2 1 Class A state finalist has elite, creative playmakers
31 27 Warren 12 4 4 Blue Devils have fantastic sophomore class
32 24 Lane 14 5 1 New era begins for 7-time defending city champions
33 25 Young 13 8 3 Dolphins sparkle w/ impressive young talent
34 22 Glenbard W. 15 7 1 Defense, goalkeeping are gold standard
35 30 Waterloo 19 5 1 Only team to beat Triad in ‘22 has explosive attack
36 NR Columbia 16 8 1 Maddie Mauch 1 of best players in S. Illinois
37 47 Neuqua V 7 8 3 New staff has talented bunch
38 NR Geneva 12 10 2 Vikings feature 13 returning rotation players
39 NR Hersey 10 9 2 Return of Meghan Mrowicki alters fortunes
40 NR Payton 14 6 3 Grizzlies look to break free of Lane, Young
41 46 Morton (B-C) 17 6 0 Mustangs feature scintillating offensive talent
42 28 WWS 13 5 3 Depth, style offset steep graduation losses
43 34 Boylan 19 2 0 Brimming w/ confidence after strong campaign
44 33 Dunlap 19 3 3 Model of consistency looks aims for another run
45 29 Fenwick 13 8 2 Friars hope to turn state trip into more wins
46 NR Montini 14 5 2 Solid nucleus from historic Class A state final side
47 49 Bartlett 11 9 2 9 starters back from undefeated U8 co-champ
48 NR Jones 8 9 1 Eagles hope injury bug behind them
49 45 DeLaSalle 21 4 0 Meteors aim to continue upward trajectory
50 39 Prospect 15 5 1 Knights look to show ‘22 no fluke