Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The small school state tournament has begun and the larger school brackets start next week.
Welcome to madness!
In a clash of the top two-ranked programs, no. 2 Morton edged no. 1 St. Patrick 5-4 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 regulation draw Sunday at the Lyons Soccer Complex. Giovanni Alvarez and Adrian Salto scored for the Mustangs.
Midfielder Edwin Zizumbo had the game-winner for the Mustangs in a victory that raised Morton back to the top spot this week.
After St. Patrick and Libertyville suffered their first defeats this week, the start of the state tournament has never felt quite so unsettled.
Little is firmly etched at this point other than a lot of very good teams at the top are poised to make a deep run. The perennials remain the programs to watch over the next three weeks.
Oak Park and River Forest and Addison Trail both jumped up in the rankings. The Huskies administered the first defeat to previous no. 1 St. Patrick on Thursday.
Addison Trail handled previous no. 3 Mount Carmel 4-2 and nearly took down Morton. The Blazers were up 1-0 with 12 minutes left in the second half before Zizumbo rallied the Mustangs with two goals.
On Tuesday, St. Patrick plays at Benet in another high-profile clash. Benet has a slight edge in the East Suburban Catholic standings by dint of St. Patrick’s tie with Marist.
St. Patrick needs to win outright to win the championship; Benet just needs a tie. Benet has only allowed three goals in 15 games, two of those by Naperville North.
Lane enters the Top 25 after their second city title in four years. The Indians defeated defending city champion Solorio 1-0 on a David Arroyo goal in the 60th minute.
“It’s crazy, I know,” Lane keeper Jacob Bozek said amid the revelry at Lane, almost shocked and overwhelmed after he made several astonishing saves -- including a penalty kick block -- for the Indians.
Bozek's statement summed up that night, and this week, perfectly.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The small school state tournament has begun and the larger school brackets start next week.
Welcome to madness!
In a clash of the top two-ranked programs, no. 2 Morton edged no. 1 St. Patrick 5-4 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 regulation draw Sunday at the Lyons Soccer Complex. Giovanni Alvarez and Adrian Salto scored for the Mustangs.
Midfielder Edwin Zizumbo had the game-winner for the Mustangs in a victory that raised Morton back to the top spot this week.
After St. Patrick and Libertyville suffered their first defeats this week, the start of the state tournament has never felt quite so unsettled.
Little is firmly etched at this point other than a lot of very good teams at the top are poised to make a deep run. The perennials remain the programs to watch over the next three weeks.
Oak Park and River Forest and Addison Trail both jumped up in the rankings. The Huskies administered the first defeat to previous no. 1 St. Patrick on Thursday.
Addison Trail handled previous no. 3 Mount Carmel 4-2 and nearly took down Morton. The Blazers were up 1-0 with 12 minutes left in the second half before Zizumbo rallied the Mustangs with two goals.
On Tuesday, St. Patrick plays at Benet in another high-profile clash. Benet has a slight edge in the East Suburban Catholic standings by dint of St. Patrick’s tie with Marist.
St. Patrick needs to win outright to win the championship; Benet just needs a tie. Benet has only allowed three goals in 15 games, two of those by Naperville North.
Lane enters the Top 25 after their second city title in four years. The Indians defeated defending city champion Solorio 1-0 on a David Arroyo goal in the 60th minute.
“It’s crazy, I know,” Lane keeper Jacob Bozek said amid the revelry at Lane, almost shocked and overwhelmed after he made several astonishing saves -- including a penalty kick block -- for the Indians.
Bozek's statement summed up that night, and this week, perfectly.
| Rk | Last wk | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Morton | 15 | 3 | 2 | Saul Juarez is a great free kick specialist |
| 2 | 1 | St. Patrick | 20 | 2 | 2 | Aaron Moren-Lopez is been model of consistency |
| 3 | 4 | Naperville North | 13 | 4 | 2 | Keeper Jason Barba has been stellar |
| 4 | 5 | Benet | 13 | 1 | 1 | Nick Augustyn has sparked offense |
| 5 | 6 | Libertyville | 13 | 1 | 3 | First regular season loss in three years |
| 6 | 7 | New Trier | 13 | 1 | 4 | Jeffrey Urban helps Trevians take CSL title |
| 7 | 3 | Mount Carmel | 14 | 4 | 2 | Tough stretch for the Caravan |
| 8 | 10 | Fremd | 10 | 1 | 4 | John Kating stepping up offensively |
| 9 | 9 | West Chicago | 15 | 1 | 3 | Wildcats have only lost to St. Patrick |
| 10 | 8 | Solorio | 19 | 2 | 1 | Andy Salgado is terrific two-way talent |
| 11 | 12 | CL South | 13 | 3 | 4 | Tom Coughlin emerging as strong offensive piece |
| 12 | 11 | Lyons | 11 | 3 | 3 | Max Behm sparks OT win over York |
| 13 | 13 | Evanston | 14 | 1 | 2 | Wildkits rebound after first loss |
| 14 | 23 | OPRF | 11 | 3 | 2 | Evan Brown sparks upset of St. Patrick |
| 15 | 14 | Round Lake | 12 | 1 | 4 | Showdown with Warren on Tuesday |
| 16 | 15 | St. Charles East | 15 | 1 | 3 | Alex Mancera sparks the Saints’ offense |
| 17 | 20 | Warren | 12 | 3 | 3 | Brandon Medina leads dominant win vs. Tremper ( Wis.) |
| 18 | HM | Addison Trail | 12 | 4 | 2 | Anthony Hernandez is skilled offensive talent |
| 19 | 18 | Oswego | 15 | 4 | 1 | Conference winning streak at 27 games |
| 20 | 19 | West Aurora | 14 | 3 | 1 | Two more shutouts for Blackhawks |
| 21 | HM | Lane | 13 | 2 | 1 | Jacob Bozek helps secure city title |
| 22 | 22 | Buffalo Grove | 10 | 6 | 2 | Sasha Tylnyy is impressive in space |
| 23 | NR | Fenwick | 13 | 4 | 1 | Friars take down Mount Carmel |
| 24 | 16 | Barrington | 14 | 4 | 1 | Survives scare against Hoffman Estates |
| 25 | 21 | York | 11 | 5 | 1 | Sam Musial helps charge up the offense |
Look out for: Zion-Benton, Wheeling, Stagg, Loyola, St. Laurence, Jacobs, Geneva, Glenbard North, Wheaton North, South Elgin, Lincoln-Way Central, Glenbrook South, Naperville Central, Dundee-Crown, Taft
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