Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Welcome to the penultimate edition of the Top 25. That says the obvious. With just one week to play in the regular season for the large school programs, this is truly the crucial stretch.
Teams are looking to get healthy, stay clear of any new injuries and get rested and sharp for the start of the state tournament. Three teams, top-ranked Naperville North, no. 2 Libertyville and no. 7 Latin, are playing for perfect regular seasons.
At this point, Naperville North and Libertyville are pretty much 1 and 1A. The teams are ranked one and two in the country respectively by the algorithm developed by MaxPreps that weighs strength of schedule, margin of victory and quality of opposition.
York makes the biggest climb after falling out of the Top 25 last week due to a rough patch. The Dukes proved that was merely a blip as they went 3-0-0 this week, punctuated by a dominant 3-0 victory over ranked Oak Park and River Forest.
Two games stand out this week: the West Suburban Gold showdown between new no. 3 Morton and no. 17 Addison Trail, which is riding an 11-game winning streak.
The Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl features no. 9 Fremd and no. 18 Buffalo Grove. The Vikings won the regular season meeting 1-0 -- that is how close the two programs are.
Next week this poll will offer a breakdown of the state tournament sectionals that use the rankings to offer a hierarchy of Chicagoland's best of the best. Then the Top 25 retires for the season and gives way to the end of the year Final 50. That ranking is a final list of all the top teams in the state regardless of geography.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Welcome to the penultimate edition of the Top 25. That says the obvious. With just one week to play in the regular season for the large school programs, this is truly the crucial stretch.
Teams are looking to get healthy, stay clear of any new injuries and get rested and sharp for the start of the state tournament. Three teams, top-ranked Naperville North, no. 2 Libertyville and no. 7 Latin, are playing for perfect regular seasons.
At this point, Naperville North and Libertyville are pretty much 1 and 1A. The teams are ranked one and two in the country respectively by the algorithm developed by MaxPreps that weighs strength of schedule, margin of victory and quality of opposition.
York makes the biggest climb after falling out of the Top 25 last week due to a rough patch. The Dukes proved that was merely a blip as they went 3-0-0 this week, punctuated by a dominant 3-0 victory over ranked Oak Park and River Forest.
Two games stand out this week: the West Suburban Gold showdown between new no. 3 Morton and no. 17 Addison Trail, which is riding an 11-game winning streak.
The Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl features no. 9 Fremd and no. 18 Buffalo Grove. The Vikings won the regular season meeting 1-0 -- that is how close the two programs are.
Next week this poll will offer a breakdown of the state tournament sectionals that use the rankings to offer a hierarchy of Chicagoland's best of the best. Then the Top 25 retires for the season and gives way to the end of the year Final 50. That ranking is a final list of all the top teams in the state regardless of geography.
| Rank | LW | School | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Naperville North | 17 | 0 | 0 | Allowed four goals this season |
| 2 | 2 | Libertyville | 15 | 0 | 0 | Lake Forest A stands in way of perfect regular season |
| 3 | 3 | Morton | 16 | 2 | 1 | Seeks to stop Addison Trail streak, win Gold |
| 4 | 4 | Wheaton A | 17 | 1 | 0 | Daniel Rychenkov is a talented forward |
| 5 | 5 | Solorio | 17 | 1 | 1 | MF Angel Nevarez creates city title winner |
| 6 | 6 | New Trier | 12 | 3 | 2 | GK James McGranahan sparks CSL title |
| 7 | 8 | Latin | 18 | 0 | 0 | Remains to be tested |
| 8 | 9 | Elgin | 15 | 1 | 2 | Ends West Aurora’s 15-game unbeaten streak |
| 9 | 10 | Fremd | 11 | 4 | 1 | Talent runs deep in GK Artur Cholewa |
| 10 | 12 | Lyons | 13 | 6 | 0 | Keeper Bradley DeBoer makes statement |
| 11 | HM | York | 12 | 4 | 1 | Parker Gawne is on offensive tear |
| 12 | 13 | Hinsdale C | 13 | 3 | 0 | Huge game with OPRF Tuesday |
| 13 | 7 | West Aurora | 15 | 2 | 1 | 14-game winning streak unprecedented |
| 14 | 14 | OPRF | 13 | 3 | 2 | Ryan Stutz is part of skilled backline |
| 15 | 17 | St. Patrick | 18 | 3 | 0 | GK Jorge Cebrero keys OT win over St Viator |
| 16 | 19 | Benet | 12 | 3 | 1 | D yle Kohlsaat impressive against Naperville C |
| 17 | 18 | Addison Trail | 14 | 4 | 0 | Eduardo Gomez part of skilled middle |
| 18 | 22 | Buffalo Gr | 13 | 4 | 2 | Meets Fremd for MSL Cup |
| 19 | 11 | Lake Park | 13 | 3 | 3 | Gray McClellan looks to reignite offense |
| 20 | 15 | CL South | 13 | 2 | 3 | Nick Langdon part of suffocating backline |
| 21 | 23 | Oswego | 14 | 2 | 2 | MF Steven Udy sparks win over rival Oswego E |
| 22 | 16 | Streamwood | 12 | 4 | 3 | Edwin Peralta is a talented midfielder |
| 23 | 25 | Loyola | 11 | 1 | 4 | Unbeaten in September and October |
| 24 | 24 | Oswego E | 13 | 4 | 3 | Dimitri Huitron is top sophomore talent |
| 25 | HM | St. Ignatius | 11 | 4 | 0 | Catholic Title at stake against Loyola |
Look out for: Metea Valley, St. Charles East, St. Charles North, Bremen, Evanston, Glenbrook South, Mundelein, Highland Park, Hersey, Washington (Chicago), Stevenson, Dundee-Crown, Neuqua Valley, Wheaton North, Naperville Central