Lemont and Brother Rice have some similarities.

Both teams have three losses and both teams are listed in Chicagoland Soccer polls.

Brother Rice (16-3-2) is ranked as an honorable mention squad in the Top 25, and Lemont (21-3-1) is ranked third in the Class AA Super 7.

The biggest similarity Saturday is that the teams square off for a sectional crown at 11 a.m. at Brother Rice.

The host team has earned nine shutouts on the year and is led by Chicago Catholic League Blue Division all-conference standouts Luke Gordon (senior defender), Liam Greene (senior midfielder), Jimmy Gricus (senior defender), Angelo Piech (senior midfielder) and Julian Zambrano (senior defender).

Piech is a returning Chicagoland Soccer All-State selection.  He scored 11 goals in 2023 and added 10 assists.

The Crusaders campaign features a six-game winning streak from Aug. 31 through Sept. 12. They hold a 64-20 goal-differential.

Brother Rice hopes to repeat as sectional champions. The Crusaders got to this point in the playoffs with regional wins against Agricultural Science (9-0) and Washington (3-1), and a sectional semifinal victory over Oak Forest (2-0).

“They are a well-organized team,” said Lemont coach Rick Prangen, “that likes to possess the ball.

“They’re very skilled, especially along the spine of their team.  They transition very well and have a very potent offensive attack.”

Lemont is no slouch itself. The offense has found the back of the net 77 times, while the defense has allowed only 17 scores.

The visitors’ 2024 accomplishments include the South Suburban Conference Blue Division championship and runnerup finishes at the 32-team Windy City Ram Classic and WarStang Invitational.

The program has posted a nine-game win streak this season and reached the sectional final with triumphs over Tinley Park (2-0, 2 OT) and Bremen (2-0) in regionals, and 3-0 over Providence in the sectional semi.

Sophomore forward Andrew Guzy leads the attack for Lemont with 18 goals. Tyler Chrisman, a senior midfielder and 2023 Chicagoland Soccer All-Stater, has 15.

The last sectional title for Lemont came in 2011.

In addition to Chrisman and Guzy, Prangen mentioned that Vincenzo Mancici (senior defender), Farab Ayub (senior midfielder) and Adrian Lisowski (sophomore goalkeeper) have also stood out for his team. Lisowski has posted 14 shutouts.

Prangen indicated he’s looking forward to the challenge of facing the Crusaders, but also said that “to be honest, you have to give the edge to Brother Rice because they are playing at home.”

He adds, though, that he likes his team’s chances.

“I expect it to be a competitive match,” said the coach.  “We have been a pretty consistent team in our play all year, and we’ve done a good job of bouncing back after a loss.

“We’ve shown good resiliency all season.”