Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
“Big players put their stamps on big games,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said after his best players came through in the Trevians’ 2-0 victory over rival Loyola on Saturday.
Now the Trevians are the latest to occupy the top spot of our weekly poll. Some years a dominant team took hold from the start and rode it all the way to the end of the season.
This is clearly not one of those years. As stated previously, this is not a typical year. The only predictable action is how unpredictable everything is.
With schools on Spring Break and others dealing with the continuing fallout of health and safety protocols and hyper weather, "The Beautiful Game" moves decidedly against the grain.
So far Morton (First 50), Naperville North and Lyons have held the top spots.
Lyons went down to Addison Trail 1-0, just two days after the Lions defeated rival Hinsdale Central by the same score.
This is not to say the season has been without consistency. All things being equal, the quality of the play has been remarkable given the backdrop to this year.
With players getting their health and conditioning back, watch for a wild and deeply intriguing final three weeks of the season.
What always animated past seasons was that very uncertainty, especially as it related to the ultimate prize, the state tournament.
As the NCAA basketball tournament has shown again and again, regular season success is not a predictor of future performance.
The moments collect, and the games form a tapestry. Against our haphazard moment, every game played and finished constitutes its own story.
That is very much worth celebrating.
Games through Saturday
By Patrick Z. McGavin
“Big players put their stamps on big games,” New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft said after his best players came through in the Trevians’ 2-0 victory over rival Loyola on Saturday.
Now the Trevians are the latest to occupy the top spot of our weekly poll. Some years a dominant team took hold from the start and rode it all the way to the end of the season.
This is clearly not one of those years. As stated previously, this is not a typical year. The only predictable action is how unpredictable everything is.
With schools on Spring Break and others dealing with the continuing fallout of health and safety protocols and hyper weather, "The Beautiful Game" moves decidedly against the grain.
So far Morton (First 50), Naperville North and Lyons have held the top spots.
Lyons went down to Addison Trail 1-0, just two days after the Lions defeated rival Hinsdale Central by the same score.
This is not to say the season has been without consistency. All things being equal, the quality of the play has been remarkable given the backdrop to this year.
With players getting their health and conditioning back, watch for a wild and deeply intriguing final three weeks of the season.
What always animated past seasons was that very uncertainty, especially as it related to the ultimate prize, the state tournament.
As the NCAA basketball tournament has shown again and again, regular season success is not a predictor of future performance.
The moments collect, and the games form a tapestry. Against our haphazard moment, every game played and finished constitutes its own story.
That is very much worth celebrating.
Games through Saturday
| Rk | LW | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | New Trier | 8 | 0 | 0 | Peter Kanellos is creative with ball |
| 2 | 1 | Lyons | 5 | 1 | 0 | Robert Sullivan is a defensive stopper |
| 3 | 3 | Warren | 5 | 0 | 0 | Sebastian Rodriguez is athletic midfielder |
| 4 | 6 | Benet | 5 | 1 | 0 | Sam Hepburn solidifies the middle attack |
| 5 | 5 | Morton | 3 | 1 | 1 | Giovanni Alvarez is electric in space |
| 6 | 4 | Loyola | 4 | 1 | 0 | Frank Meidema is dynamic shotmaker |
| 7 | 8 | St. Charles N | 8 | 1 | 0 | Mike DePasquale leads elite back |
| 8 | 11 | Naperville North | 6 | 2 | 0 | Pablo Jara is heir to great keeper tradition |
| 9 | 12 | Hersey | 6 | 0 | 0 | Tommy Steeger is great off-the-ball defender |
| 10 | 19 | West Aurora | 8 | 0 | 0 | Blackhawks pile up wins |
| 11 | 20 | Fenwick | 2 | 0 | 0 | Brett Bergnach is elite defender |
| 12 | 13 | Maine South | 5 | 0 | 1 | Stefan Iricanin is dynamic midfielder |
| 13 | 9 | St. Charles E | 7 | 2 | 1 | Alex Mancera is exciting midfielder |
| 14 | HM | Timothy | 5 | 1 | 0 | Josh Bode helps end Wheaton A streak |
| 15 | HM | Stevenson | 3 | 1 | 0 | Patriots are on the rise |
| 16 | 10 | Geneva | 4 | 1 | 4 | Jack Cannon helps form a solid backline |
| 17 | NR | Addison Trail | 4 | 2 | 1 | Junior D David Peters never comes off field |
| 18 | 24 | Leyden | 4 | 1 | 0 | Matt Espinoza is gifted shotmaker |
| 19 | 23 | St. Ignatius | 2 | 1 | 0 | Gavin Troy is fun to watch |
| 20 | 15 | St. Patrick | 3 | 1 | 0 | Sebastian Estrada is create playmaker |
| 21 | 25 | Fremd | 3 | 2 | 0 | Ryan Sapiente is a top junior |
| 22 | 17 | Wheaton A | 7 | 2 | 1 | Evan Eckert has range in back |
| 23 | HM | Jacobs | 4 | 0 | 1 | Impressive win over Huntley |
| 24 | NR | Plainfield North | 6 | 1 | 1 | Cooper Allen is standout sophomore |
| 25 | 14 | York | 3 | 1 | 1 | Chase McNeill is a talented midfielder |
Look out for: Naperville Central, Glenbard East, Streamwood, Downers Grove North, Huntley, Buffalo Grove, South Elgin, Glenbrook South, Sandburg, St. Laurence, Barrington, North Shore Country Day, Homewood-Flossmoor, Glenbrook North, Round Lake. Roche
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