Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Drum roll please, Fremd is your new no. 1.
The Vikings become the third team this season to step onto the top perch. The deeper the season goes, the more impressive their achievements become.
Fremd took over from Morton, who tied Notre Dame (Peoria) 1-1 and lost 3-0 against Marquette (Wis.) in the top bracket of the Great River Classic on Saturday in Burlington, Iowa.
Fremd defeated that Marquette team on Sept. 17 in Wisconsin.
The Vikings played just once last week, but it was a big game. Fremd beat previous no. 3 St. Charles East 2-0. It marked the first time the Fighting Saints were shutout this season, and ended a streak of 19 games, spanning to last spring, in which they scored.
Fremd has permitted just six goals in 14 games. A pair came against Evanston in a tie in the first game of the season, and two came in its shutout loss against Chaminade (Mo.). The Vikings allowed single goals in wins against Marquette and Naperville North.
Barrington is another big riser based on its performance at the same tournament. The Broncos knocked off Gateway Legacy (Mo.), which is closer to an academy team than a high school program. When the school was located in southern Illinois, the IHSA refused to accredit them and barred them from playing in the state tournament.
Barrington followed with a solid game in a 2-1 loss Friday to nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.). The Broncos did not play Saturday due to their Homecoming.
Lake Zurich is the only other team to beat Barrington. The North Suburban Conference co-leading Bears delivered another impressive win when it topped previous no. 7 Rolling Meadows on Saturday.
Evanston and Lake Zurich become the top-rated teams in the poll who are not part of the Chicagoland Soccer network.
Wheaton Academy, the traditional small-school power, started very slowly and suffered a lopsided early loss against St. Charles East.
But the Warriors seem to have found themselves in a big way. They captured the other significant tournament action last weekend, defeating then no. 4 Evanston in the semifinals and Middleton (Wis.) in the championship of the Heartland Lodge bracket of the Great River Classic.
With rare exceptions, recent head-to-head matchups are the line of demarcation in the final rankings. Late season results take greater precedence over early season action.
The IHSA released the state tournament seeds this week. We will have more to say about that in the coming weeks.
We are clearly in the late hours of the regular season. Every game takes on more significance.
The competion ratchets up with each passing day.
Games through Sunday
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Drum roll please, Fremd is your new no. 1.
The Vikings become the third team this season to step onto the top perch. The deeper the season goes, the more impressive their achievements become.
Fremd took over from Morton, who tied Notre Dame (Peoria) 1-1 and lost 3-0 against Marquette (Wis.) in the top bracket of the Great River Classic on Saturday in Burlington, Iowa.
Fremd defeated that Marquette team on Sept. 17 in Wisconsin.
The Vikings played just once last week, but it was a big game. Fremd beat previous no. 3 St. Charles East 2-0. It marked the first time the Fighting Saints were shutout this season, and ended a streak of 19 games, spanning to last spring, in which they scored.
Fremd has permitted just six goals in 14 games. A pair came against Evanston in a tie in the first game of the season, and two came in its shutout loss against Chaminade (Mo.). The Vikings allowed single goals in wins against Marquette and Naperville North.
Barrington is another big riser based on its performance at the same tournament. The Broncos knocked off Gateway Legacy (Mo.), which is closer to an academy team than a high school program. When the school was located in southern Illinois, the IHSA refused to accredit them and barred them from playing in the state tournament.
Barrington followed with a solid game in a 2-1 loss Friday to nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.). The Broncos did not play Saturday due to their Homecoming.
Lake Zurich is the only other team to beat Barrington. The North Suburban Conference co-leading Bears delivered another impressive win when it topped previous no. 7 Rolling Meadows on Saturday.
Evanston and Lake Zurich become the top-rated teams in the poll who are not part of the Chicagoland Soccer network.
Wheaton Academy, the traditional small-school power, started very slowly and suffered a lopsided early loss against St. Charles East.
But the Warriors seem to have found themselves in a big way. They captured the other significant tournament action last weekend, defeating then no. 4 Evanston in the semifinals and Middleton (Wis.) in the championship of the Heartland Lodge bracket of the Great River Classic.
With rare exceptions, recent head-to-head matchups are the line of demarcation in the final rankings. Late season results take greater precedence over early season action.
The IHSA released the state tournament seeds this week. We will have more to say about that in the coming weeks.
We are clearly in the late hours of the regular season. Every game takes on more significance.
The competion ratchets up with each passing day.
Games through Sunday
| Rk | LW | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Fremd | 12 | 1 | 1 | Caden Statz is two-way threat |
| 2 | 1 | Morton | 12 | 1 | 3 | Ivan Ramirez is a two-way presence |
| 3 | 5 | New Trier | 12 | 1 | 1 | Aidan Nicholson is a savvy talent |
| 4 | 12 | York | 14 | 1 | 0 | Joe Hernandez is creative with the ball |
| 5 | 4 | Evanston | 11 | 2 | 3 | Third at Heartland Lodge |
| 6 | 3 | St. Charles E | 13 | 2 | 0 | Will Orloff is a upfront threat |
| 7 | 18 | Lake Zurich | 10 | 1 | 4 | Statement win over Rolling Meadows |
| 8 | 19 | Barrington | 12 | 2 | 2 | Kieren Londergan moves the attack forward |
| 9 | 9 | Lyons | 12 | 4 | 1 | Anthony Curran is a developing weapon |
| 10 | 11 | OPRF | 11 | 2 | 0 | Jadyn Hsieh-Bailey is a talent |
| 11 | 8 | Benet | 10 | 4 | 0 | Daniel Pepping a gifted shot-creator |
| 12 | 10 | Loyola | 9 | 2 | 2 | Joseph Roscoe is a dynamic creator |
| 13 | 6 | Naperville N | 12 | 5 | 2 | Tyson Amoo-Mensah is a creative force in the middle |
| 14 | 14 | LW Central | 12 | 1 | 1 | Sandburg stops winning streak |
| 15 | 20 | Lockport | 11 | 1 | 0 | Scored 24 goals in 3 games |
| 16 | 7 | Rolling Meadows | 12 | 2 | 2 | Aiden O’Brien is a two-way talent |
| 17 | 21 | Notre Dame | 16 | 1 | 1 | Jack Plovanich is gifted stopper |
| 18 | 16 | Oswego East | 13 | 2 | 1 | ZeDaniel Parodis-Yu a defensive stalwart |
| 19 | NR | Wheaton A | 11 | 4 | 1 | Josh Mariotti is dynamic in space |
| 20 | 17 | Warren | 9 | 2 | 4 | George McAtee rock solid at keeper |
| 21 | HM | Stevenson | 11 | 2 | 3 | Showdown with Lake Zurich Tuesday |
| 22 | HM | Hinsdale C | 7 | 3 | 1 | Red Devils have beat 3 ranked teams |
| 23 | 21 | Libertyville | 9 | 4 | 3 | Felix Amyot is creative young talent |
| 24 | NR | CL South | 13 | 2 | 2 | Deven Tinajero slices up the middle |
| 25 | 25 | Naperville C | 11 | 6 | 0 | Josh Weigel is skilled with the ball |
Look out for: Mount Carmel, Elk Grove, Minooka, West Aurora, Plainfield East, West Chicago, Romeoville, Plainfield North, Plainfield Central, Timothy, Huntley, Prospect, Addison Trail, Glenbrook North, Wheaton North
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