It would be easy for Hinsdale Central to look past visiting Downers Grove North, its opponent in the Red Devils final West Suburban Conference Silver Division match at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. 

After all, the Trojans enter their season finale with a 3-16-2 overall record and only one conference win.

But the Red Devils have no plans to overlook anybody at this point in the season.

“Our expectations for the Downer Grove North game are no different than any other that we have for teams on our schedule,” Red Devils coach Mike Wiggins said. “Our team will be prepared to compete, will be organized and focused. Every game in the WSC is a great game with a quality opponent so we look forward to it.”

The Red Devils (9-7-1, 4-1-x) , who are ranked 24th in the Chiagoland Soccer Top 25, have had a remarkable turnaround this season. Starting 1-6-1, Hinsdale Central has won eight of its past nine games and is the driver’s seat for the Silver Division title. The team has the same record as Lyons but owns the tiebreaker by virtue of a 3-2 overtime win over the Lions on Oct. 1.

In fact, Wiggins’ team is playing so well collectively that he didn’t want to point out a few players for accolades.

“It’s fair to say that the entire team has stood out, and I can point to contributions from everyone on the roster both in training and in games,” Wiggins said.

Even with the slow start, the veteran coach said he’s not surprised by anything he’s learned about his team throughout the season.

“What we know now is what we knew from Day 1. That is, we have a relentless group of athletes who continue to make every Red Devil proud who has ever put the uniform on,” Wiggins said. “It is really fun to watch this group grow week to week.”

Austen Szergot continues to pace the Red Devils offense. The senior midfielder has team highs with 10 goals and 23 points. He’s followed by both Enzo Cinque and Matthew Gantar with four goals and a team-high five assists each.

Downers Grove North has lost five in a row and is winless in the past 10 games (0-8-2). But look past their record and examine the games closer, and it could easily be a different story this season.

Five of their last eight losses have been by one goal. Another came in penalty kicks against Oak Park and River Forest on Oct. 8. The only outliers are a 2-0 loss to Glenbard West on Oct. 1 and a 5-1 loss to Argo on Oct. 7.

“The resiliency that we have shown throughout the entire season would be the greatest positive,” Trojans coach Rafal Slomba said. “Even with all the downs and unlucky bounces we have had throughout the season, our boys are determined to keep fighting for better results. 

“This is another huge test to see where we’re at, headed into the last chapter of the season.”

The Trojans are led by Mantas Palubinskas, a senior midfielder with six goals and six assists, both team highs. Oliver Davies follows with four goals and 10 points. Danny Graham is next with three goals and nine points. 

Slomba also said defenders Danny Umana and Conor Schewe have had standout seasons.

The Trojans would like nothing more than to spoil the Red Devils’ conference title hopes.

“I’m expecting our boys to come out with nothing to lose,” Slomba said. “We have had a lot of close results against teams that have been having successful seasons, just like Hinsdale Central. 

“We were able to steal one away from them last year at home. They have a chance to win the conference title, and I’m expecting them to come out firing on all cylinders.”

Downers Grove North gets some time off after the game to prepare for the postseason. The 13th-seeded Trojans open the Class 3A playoffs against 19th-ranked and fourth-seeded Young in a Lyons Regional semifinal on Oct. 23.