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Chicagoland Soccer First 50 poll



By Patrick Z. McGavin

The return of girls soccer last year proved not just aesthetically pleasing but also emotionally satisfying.

The games, with their attendant joy, celebration and heartbreak, constituted their own form of catharsis.

Last year marked the great unknown after the absence of high school competition in 2020.

The impact of a pandemic that wiped out the girls season two years ago is still being felt. It is almost impossible to fully gauge the athletic and emotional repercussions on young student-athletes who missed an entire year of competition.

The truncated return to prep play in 2021 was not ideal by format or structure. Games were jammed together. Programs were restricted by geography. Crucial in-season tournaments that traditionally shaped and prepared teams were still absent.

An interesting upside was that for the first time in the history of the three-class format, each state title was determined on the same day.

It ended with a mad celebration for the Illinois side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Althoff, Triad and O’Fallon swept Chicago-area teams in their respective state title games.

On the verge of a new season, those schools loom large in Chicagoland Soccer's exclusive First 50 rankings, a preseason organizing of the state’s top teams.

Regardless of geography, any program in Illinois, private or public, rthat competes in the IHSA was eligible for consideration.

For the first time in the history of the poll, a downstate power and Class AA team tops the list -- Triad begins the year ranked no. 1.

The Knights beat both O’Fallon and Althoff last season and are riding high on a 25-game unbeaten streak (24-0-1).

After opening last season with a tie against Granite City, Triad ran the table. 

"In the bubble” in the unorthodox scenario of last year, the three downstate schools ensconced themselves and thrived.

Behind a historic championship game performance by Regan Moody, Althoff dominated Timothy in the Class A title match.

The AA and 3A title games were close and turned on a couple of key sequences.

Triad won two one-goal games in the Final Four. 

O’Fallon won three-straight, single-goal games in the supersectional and state finals. The Panthers overcame a 1-0 deficit against Libertyville in the semifinal. In the title game, runnerup Lyons saw two shots hit the post.

The trio of downstate schools deserved their props. Among them, Althoff was the most dominant. After facing monster competition from Columbia and Marquette (Alton) leading up to the state finals, they breezed to the title by an aggregate score of 10-0 against Wheaton Academy (semifinal) and Timothy (title).

Looking ahead,  to the 2022 AA state tourney, Benet has nine starters back from an 18-1-0 team that lost to Lyons in a Class AAA sectional final. Now the Redwings drop back to the AA designation. Who was the last team to beat Triad? Benet took the state semifinal in 2019 en route to its own state championship.

O’Fallon's title broke the hammerlock of three schools, Naperville North, Barrington and New Trier, who had won the previous seven Class 3A state title matches.

Those traditional Chicagoland schools are all back in the thick of it and rank among the biggest challengers to dethrone the Panthers.

As good as they were last year, Althoff, Triad and O’Fallon are not likely to run away with anything. The quality of the competition throughout the state is just too high.

The First 50 is many things, a conversation starter, a teaser, a way to open the dialogue. It is also not infallible.

The York boys, for instance, were not happy with their First 50 ranking last fall at no. 27. They went out and proved this writer wrong by winning the state title.

People like polls, and that is why the regular-season long Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 weekly listing of the best teams in the northeast corner of the state is so popular. It begins next week.

Likewise, the Illinois 10 ranking that measures the temperature throughout the rest of the state is also regarded as must reading for many.

The First 50 poll below includes each team's preseason ranking, its Final 50 position at the end of last season, and their 2021 record.

Last season showed us what we missed. It has also raised the level of anticipation for the new campaign, the first full slate since 2019.

Let the games begin




Rk'21 rkTeamWLTComment
11Triad2401Starts season on 24-game win streak
24Libertyville1820Club talent adds to nucleus of 3d place run
32O’Fallon2020Avery Christopher leads 3A champs
43Lyons2010GK Izzy Lee anchors suffocating "D"
514Naperville C13248 starters, 6 univ. recruits for sectional finalist
68Naperville N12339 starters return from supersectional power
77New Trier2024Trevians don't rebuild, they reload
816Loyola1622Brilliant senior class is battle-tested
919Warren15235 recruits (4 D I) make for imposing lineup
105Barrington17 31Brooke Brown tops superb junior class
119Benet18109 starters back from sectional finalist
1211Evanston1433Brealy n Viamille leads skilled attack
1310Sandburg1820Erin O’Connor a great 2-way talent
1412Althoff2220Strong favorites to repeat in Class A
1513Glenwood1510Ally Matthews is an elite stopper
1620Glenbrook N1423Lily Denk is a fantastic talent
1718St. Charles N1452Bella Najera leads stacked lineup
186St. Charles E2211McKenna Gahagan is the offensive catalyst
1917Stevenson1441NSC is lethal at the top
2024Saint Viator1451Emilie Doersching tops compelling returnees
2131St. Ignatius1571Shannon Rydz leads powerhouse lineup
2227Lane1242City’s best until proven otherwise
2332Young1351Watch out for Daphne Murray
24NRNeuqua V8101Brooke Miller powers Wildcats’ resurgence
2525Normal2221Solid returners from 22-2-1 team
2615Joliet Cath1621Angels return plenty of offensive firepower
2730Oswego East14105 college recruits return from 1-loss team
2833St. Francis1310Spartans are athletic, skilled and fast
2923Wheaton A1950Emily Setran leads energetic, potent attack
30NRMetea V1281Tyra King leads 10 returning starters
3149Timothy1730Versatil e lineup returns from A state finalist
3229Fremd1140Lily Spotak as good as they get
33NRAndrew1180Leah Crotty has next level talent
3426Edwardsville940Syd ney Lane a versatile 2-way prospect
3521Columbia1270Althof f’s biggest downstate challenger
36NRGlenbrook S5144Lilly O’Rourke powers Titans’ return
3734ND (Peoria)1532Solid group back from supersectional team
3837Highland Pk1340Giants are explosive, skilled in middle
3936Burlington C15715 starters back from supersectional team
4022Marqtte (Alt)1371Another top threat to Althoff
4141Deerfield1582Has a lot of skilled young offensive talent
4243Payton1570Grizzlies look to build off supersectional run
4342Dunlap1540Samanth a Cenek 1 of state’s best
4450ND (Quincy)1731Lia Quintero is an elite scorer
45NRGlenbard E842Maia Zatarski is dynamite with the ball
4645Bartlett1131Tessa Evans leads talented and deep roster
4742Jones1141Carolina Rondelli is next offensive star
4838Freeport1510Pretzels only lost to Burlington C last year
49NRUniv (Nrml)1470Solid group back from sectional finalist
50NRWauconda1162McKenzie Arden is elite keeper
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