Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
What a week that was.
One of the semifinals at the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic end after extra time and one after PKs with New Trier and Stevenson prevailing. It sets up a strong final on Monday night at New Trier.
Stevenson makes a big jump into the top five after a very impressive win over Naperville North, otherwise one of the hottest teams of the week with a 3-0-0 Malnati's run that included administering the first loss of the season to Evanston before the semifinal loss Saturday.
That’s how it goes. Nothing stays very permanent for long, except maybe Barrington. Entering the season, the big question facing the Fillies was how they would handle the loss of the state’s best player in senior forward Ashley Prell.
The answer seems by committee with waves of talent that seemingly never lets up, and a deep and imposing bench that can score from anywhere on the field. The Fillies are the favorites at the 24-team Naperville Invitational. As the tournament directors point out, twenty-seven of the 31 teams to capture the large schools state championships have roots at the tournament.
Lyons suffered its first loss, in the 95th minute, at the foot of the incomparable Emma Weaver, of New Trier. She has 17 goals in 13 games and leads the Trevians to their first title game appearance of the Deep Dish Classic, previously known as the North Shore Invitational.
The Lions jumped up five spots with the loss. They are clearly a team to reckon with.
Teams up and down this list are set to play at in the Naperville super tournament. Loyola and Fremd provided a sneak preview, with an early game due to scheduling conflicts. Loyola survived in penalty kicks, the first of, no doubt, many such scenarios.
St. Ignatius features one of the state’s top players in sophomore Ella Richards. The Wolfpack made a statement with a victory over St. Charles East on Tuesday. They are the team to beat in the Chicago Cup Classic, which starts group play later this week.
The tournaments blur together, but it is pretty clear the hierarchy.
Add second-ranked St. Charles North to the fray in Naperville. How good is the field? Thirteen of the top 15 teams in this week’s poll are there. The Chicago Public League and a couple of private schools take their delayed spring breaks, which could throw a bit of a sidewinder into previously projected results.
It is all part of the fun. Take a look and join in. You are not going to disappointed.
Games through April 13
By Patrick Z. McGavin
What a week that was.
One of the semifinals at the Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic end after extra time and one after PKs with New Trier and Stevenson prevailing. It sets up a strong final on Monday night at New Trier.
Stevenson makes a big jump into the top five after a very impressive win over Naperville North, otherwise one of the hottest teams of the week with a 3-0-0 Malnati's run that included administering the first loss of the season to Evanston before the semifinal loss Saturday.
That’s how it goes. Nothing stays very permanent for long, except maybe Barrington. Entering the season, the big question facing the Fillies was how they would handle the loss of the state’s best player in senior forward Ashley Prell.
The answer seems by committee with waves of talent that seemingly never lets up, and a deep and imposing bench that can score from anywhere on the field. The Fillies are the favorites at the 24-team Naperville Invitational. As the tournament directors point out, twenty-seven of the 31 teams to capture the large schools state championships have roots at the tournament.
Lyons suffered its first loss, in the 95th minute, at the foot of the incomparable Emma Weaver, of New Trier. She has 17 goals in 13 games and leads the Trevians to their first title game appearance of the Deep Dish Classic, previously known as the North Shore Invitational.
The Lions jumped up five spots with the loss. They are clearly a team to reckon with.
Teams up and down this list are set to play at in the Naperville super tournament. Loyola and Fremd provided a sneak preview, with an early game due to scheduling conflicts. Loyola survived in penalty kicks, the first of, no doubt, many such scenarios.
St. Ignatius features one of the state’s top players in sophomore Ella Richards. The Wolfpack made a statement with a victory over St. Charles East on Tuesday. They are the team to beat in the Chicago Cup Classic, which starts group play later this week.
The tournaments blur together, but it is pretty clear the hierarchy.
Add second-ranked St. Charles North to the fray in Naperville. How good is the field? Thirteen of the top 15 teams in this week’s poll are there. The Chicago Public League and a couple of private schools take their delayed spring breaks, which could throw a bit of a sidewinder into previously projected results.
It is all part of the fun. Take a look and join in. You are not going to disappointed.
Games through April 13
| Rk | LW | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Barrington | 7 | 0 | 1 | Outscored opposition 47-4 |
| 2 | 2 | St. Charles North | 7 | 0 | 1 | Makes Naperville Inv. premiere |
| 3 | 4 | New Trier | 8 | 0 | 5 | Ava Shah a defensive sparkplug |
| 4 | 10 | Lyons | 6 | 1 | 1 | Meara Hilling is a skilled midfielder |
| 5 | 20 | Stevenson | 7 | 1 | 2 | Stun Naperville North for New Trier rematch |
| 6 | HM | Conant | 8 | 0 | 1 | A Naperville Inv. darkhorse candidate |
| 7 | HM | St. Ignatius | 9 | 0 | 2 | Favorites for the Chicago Cup title |
| 8 | 7 | St. Charles East | 10 | 3 | 0 | Elle McCaslin scores GW vs. Geneva |
| 9 | 8 | Naperville North | 5 | 3 | 1 | Jordan Leonard a backline talent |
| 10 | 5 | Benet | 9 | 1 | 0 | Mary Kate Hansen shores up backline |
| 11 | 3 | Evanston | 9 | 2 | 0 | Katarina Sehgal a skilled midfielder |
| 12 | 13 | Sandburg | 8 | 1 | 1 | Ready for Naperville Inv, gauntlet |
| 13 | 19 | Waubonsie Valley | 8 | 1 | 1 | Makes statement at Plainfield Classic |
| 14 | 14 | Neuqua Valley | 3 | 2 | 2 | Leah Sense a gifted midfielder |
| 15 | 15 | Geneva | 5 | 2 | 1 | Gave St. Charles East a tough game |
| 16 | 16 | WW South | 6 | 1 | 0 | Ellery Cagey a gifted midfielder |
| 17 | 11 | Lane | 8 | 3 | 1 | Carlye Makuch a Swiss Army Knife talent |
| 18 | 9 | Glenbrook South | 11 | 2 | 1 | Finished strong in Malnati's |
| 19 | 12 | Glenbard East | 8 | 3 | 1 | Showdown Wed. with W. Aurora |
| 20 | 18 | Prairie Ridge | 9 | 0 | 1 | Unbeaten and mostly untested |
| 21 | 21 | Wauconda | 7 | 2 | 1 | Takes WW South to PKs in PepsiCo |
| 22 | 22 | Batavia | 8 | 1 | 2 | CeCe Hamann a dangerous attacking piece |
| 23 | 24 | Loyola | 4 | 3 | 2 | Meredith Phillips provides offensive spark |
| 24 | 25 | Hersey | 8 | 2 | 1 | Olivia Mrowicki a dynamic attacker |
| 25 | 23 | Lemont | 6 | 3 | 1 | Michaela Egan a skilled midfielder |
Look out for: Fremd, Warren, Deerfield, Mother McAuley, Lake Zurich, Naperville Central, West Aurora, Plainfield North, Metea Valley, St. Francis, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Joliet Catholic, Young, North Shore Country Day