Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
With seconds remaining in the first half of the Chicago Public League city championship, Washington midfielder Juan Antonio Garibay blasted a ball from about 40 yards that nestled inside the near post. The Patriots rode that score to a 1-0 victory over Lane on Sunday at Brooks High School.
It was the last goal of the 2017 regular season.
The city finalists, Washington and Lane, move up into the final poll, which is a prelude t the playoffs. Other noteworthy action from the week included defending state runnerup Barrington defeating Buffalo Grove in penalty kicks to capture the Mid-Suburban League Cup.
The brutal final weekend weather was an anomaly as very few games were interrupted by inclement conditions this year. The weather is expected to bloom this week as the large schools in Class AA and Class 3A compete in the semifinal and championship rounds of the state regionals.
This is the final Top 25 poll of the season. The Chicagoland Soccer Final 50, a combined poll of Chicago schools and programs from the rest of the state, will make its debut for the boys season after the state finals.
The top 11 programs from a week ago maintain their identical spots this week, an unprecedented action for this poll. The irregular number of games played over the last seven days ws a major factor.
In the comment section this week we have listed the teams' sectional seeds. The Fremd Sectional appears to be the the toughest at the top. Carmel is no. 14 in the Top 25 and rated just a seventh seed. They are a regional host and have a potential showdown with Waukegan.
The last two Class 3A state champions, Libertyville (2015) and Naperville North, end the year 1-2 in the poll. Libertyville is undefeated this season -- its two ties to the teams ranked no. 4 and no. 5 in this week's rankings.
You could flip the two at the top or the next group of five or six teams. It's that close.
And now things get even more interesting. The state tournament is open for business.
Games through 10-15, end of regular season.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
With seconds remaining in the first half of the Chicago Public League city championship, Washington midfielder Juan Antonio Garibay blasted a ball from about 40 yards that nestled inside the near post. The Patriots rode that score to a 1-0 victory over Lane on Sunday at Brooks High School.
It was the last goal of the 2017 regular season.
The city finalists, Washington and Lane, move up into the final poll, which is a prelude t the playoffs. Other noteworthy action from the week included defending state runnerup Barrington defeating Buffalo Grove in penalty kicks to capture the Mid-Suburban League Cup.
The brutal final weekend weather was an anomaly as very few games were interrupted by inclement conditions this year. The weather is expected to bloom this week as the large schools in Class AA and Class 3A compete in the semifinal and championship rounds of the state regionals.
This is the final Top 25 poll of the season. The Chicagoland Soccer Final 50, a combined poll of Chicago schools and programs from the rest of the state, will make its debut for the boys season after the state finals.
The top 11 programs from a week ago maintain their identical spots this week, an unprecedented action for this poll. The irregular number of games played over the last seven days ws a major factor.
In the comment section this week we have listed the teams' sectional seeds. The Fremd Sectional appears to be the the toughest at the top. Carmel is no. 14 in the Top 25 and rated just a seventh seed. They are a regional host and have a potential showdown with Waukegan.
The last two Class 3A state champions, Libertyville (2015) and Naperville North, end the year 1-2 in the poll. Libertyville is undefeated this season -- its two ties to the teams ranked no. 4 and no. 5 in this week's rankings.
You could flip the two at the top or the next group of five or six teams. It's that close.
And now things get even more interesting. The state tournament is open for business.
Games through 10-15, end of regular season.
| Rank | LW | School | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Libertyville | 14 | 0 | 2 | No. 1 seed at Fremd Sectional |
| 2 | 2 | Naperville N | 20 | 1 | 1 | No. 1 seed at own sectional |
| 3 | 3 | New Trier | 17 | 3 | 0 | No. 2 seed at own sectional |
| 4 | 4 | Waukegan | 14 | 2 | 3 | No. 2 seed at Fremd Sectional |
| 5 | 5 | Glenbrook N | 15 | 3 | 1 | No. 1 seed at New Trier Sectional |
| 6 | 6 | Morton | 18 | 1 | 2 | No. 1 seed at Hinsdale Central Sectional |
| 7 | 7 | Dundee-Cr | 17 | 0 | 2 | No. 1 seed at Streamwood Sectional |
| 8 | 8 | SC North | 10 | 2 | 4 | No. 1 seed at Conant Sectional |
| 9 | 9 | OPRF | 14 | 3 | 1 | No. 2 seed at Hinsdale Central Sectional |
| 10 | 10 | Lyons | 15 | 4 | 1 | No. 3 seed at Hinsdale Central Sectional |
| 11 | 11 | Prairie Ridge | 17 | 2 | 0 | No. 1 Subsectional A seed at Grayslake C |
| 12 | 13 | Naperville C | 12 | 4 | 3 | No. 2 seed at Naperville North Sectional |
| 13 | 12 | Bradley-B | 14 | 3 | 1 | No. 1 seed at Reavis Sectional |
| 14 | 14 | Carmel | 13 | 2 | 1 | No. 7 seed at Fremd Sectional |
| 15 | 15 | Barrington | 17 | 3 | 1 | No. 3 seed at Fremd Sectional |
| 16 | 16 | Buffalo Grove | 15 | 5 | 1 | No. 5 seed at Fremd Sectional |
| 17 | 17 | Evanston | 13 | 3 | 4 | No. 3 seed at New Trier Sectional |
| 18 | 18 | Wheaton A | 17 | 4 | 0 | No. 1 Subsectional A seed at own sectional |
| 19 | 22 | St. Edward | 22 | 1 | 0 | No. 1 Subsectional B seed at Rockford Chr |
| 20 | 21 | Mount Carmel | 17 | 4 | 0 | No. 2 seed at Reavis Sectional |
| 21 | 19 | Fenton | 16 | 6 | 1 | No. 2 seed at own sectional |
| 22 | 23 | Woodstock | 21 | 1 | 0 | No. 1 Subsectional B seed at Grayslake C |
| 23 | NR | Washington | 14 | 4 | 3 | No. 2 Subsectional A seed at Brooks Sectional |
| 24 | 24 | Streamwood | 11 | 5 | 2 | No. 3 seed at own sectional |
| 25 | HM | Lane | 12 | 5 | 3 | No. 9 seed at New Trier Sectional |
Look out for: Elgin, Leyden, St. Patrick, Round Lake, Plainfield Central, Downers Grove North, Reavis, Bremen, St. Ignatius, Loyola, Young, Geneva, Latin, Bulls, Lockport.