Find a team...
Saturday marked the halfway-point of the regular-season. The four-week stretch has both conformed to presuppositions and broken new ground.
Soccer is an easy sport to love but a very hard one to predict. There’s the rub.
Any season is going to have different movements and tendencies woven into the larger whole.
Within the top 10, Naperville North, Morton and York have won state championships.
West Aurora, which leaps near the top of the poll, posted an undefeated season and state-best for victories during the special pandemic spring season three years ago.
York has been in the state finals the last two years, finishing first and fourth respectively. Stevenson was third a year ago.
The teams that typically contend are not surprisingly among the most privileged.
New faces join the mix, like Bloom, Maine South, Reavis, Bolingbrook and Notre Dame.
As we said last week, the Central Suburban League South Division is the bellwether, with three teams in the top 10 and four in the top 17.
The West Suburban Conference Silver Divison is just behind with top-ranked Oak Park and River Forest joined by no 6 York, no. 14 Hinsdale Central and no. 15 Lyons.
York’s only two losses are against Oak Park and River Forest, most recently a penalty kick shootout in the semifinals of the Streamwood Fall Classic.
Evanston beat Glenbrook North 2-1, which beat New Trier by the same score.
On Tuesday, Oak Park and River Forest hosts Hinsdale Central at 6 p.m.; Thursday, New Trier travels to Evanston at 7 p.m.
That is the beauty of having high-level conferences -- the certainty of high-stakes games.
The season moves on, tough, wild and unpredictable.
With each new week we are left to wonder: who will be the next interloper to crash the Top 25?
Editor's note: HM-honorable mention; NR-not ranked in last week's poll.
| Rank | LW | Team | Record | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Oak Park and River Forest | 10-0-1 | Cole Shepherd helps power Streamwood title |
| 2 | 3 | Naperville North | 9-1-0 | Anthony Flores emerging as athletic threat |
| 3 | 4 | Evanston | 10-0-0 | Slides past Glenbrook North |
| 4 | 2 | Morton | 8-0-2 | Ivan Ramirez is the leader of air-tight defense |
| 5 | 7 | Glenbrook North | 9-1-1 | Jackson Lee is crafty presence in middle |
| 6 | 8 | York | 7-2-0 | Damian Glodz is intriguing offensive piece |
| 7 | 12 | West Aurora | 11-0-0 | Defeats Minooka 4-3 to remain perfect |
| 8 | 5 | New Trier | 7-1-2 | Thomas Terry is superb keeper |
| 9 | 6 | Stevenson | 10-1-0 | Benjamin Inthisone elevates the attack |
| 10 | 9 | Elgin | 7-2-0 | Geovanny Aviles is a superb two-way talent |
| 11 | 10 | Bloom | 11-1-0 | Back on their dominant path |
| 12 | 13 | Palatine | 9-0-2 | Sebastian Lopez is a player to watch up-top |
| 13 | 17 | Streamwood | 9-3-1 | Jairo Sanchez is a creative midfielder |
| 14 | 18 | Hinsdale Central | 7-1-2 | Martin Montoya keys victory over Batavia |
| 15 | 19 | Lyons | 7-3-2 | Haris Sarajlija steps up against Morton |
| 16 | 11 | Reavis | 7-1-3 | Nikolas Lara is another solid player in middle |
| 17 | HM | Maine South | 7-3-1 | Zach Malinsky is a threat anywhere on field |
| 18 | 16 | St. Charles East | 8-3-0 | Keeper Jordan Rolon keeps Saints in every game |
| 19 | HM | Bolingbrook | 6-0-2 | Edges Oswego for Plainfield Classic title |
| 20 | 24 | Marmion | 5-1-3 | Giovanni Magana is great on set pieces |
| 21 | NR | Notre Dame | 8-1-0 | Midfielder Joey Sorce orchestrates attack |
| 22 | 21 | Lane | 7-2-1 | Devin Parikh is a dynamic forward |
| 23 | 20 | Solorio | 9-2-0 | Dominating south side of city |
| 24 | 14 | Mount Carmel | 6-2-2 | Unable to contain Marmion |
| 25 | HM | Lincoln-Way Central | 7-1-0 | Dylan Maksa is nephew of Young coach Nick Maksa |
Look out for: Naperville Central, Plainfield East, Taft, Leyden, Round Lake, Oswego, Oswego East, Romeoville, Glenbrook South, Niles North, Benet, St. Charles North, Stagg, Young, Plainfield Central
Tag(s): Home