Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
A person in the know volunteered the following remarks to help give context to the first five weeks of the season.
“St. Charles North is the best team in the state, struggles defensively, but there is no better front five in the state than theirs.”
“Naperville North is very athletic and could be one of the best teams in the state if they figure it out [offensively].”
“Naperville Central is good enough to make it in the Top 25.”
One thing that is obvious a month into the season is that nothing is obvious. There have been some stunning results, surprises and games that just go against the common presuppositions.
St. Charles North’s offense is putting up historic numbers. They have rung up seven, six and six goals respectively against Geneva, Plainfield North and Libertyville -- programs that are among the most talented in the state. They shut out Neuqua Valley, currently one of the hottest team in the state.
St. Charles North advances to a PepsiCo bracket title game April 22. The North Stars will meet Wheaton Warrenville South, which makes a big leap up the ladder following statement wins against former no. 6 Metea Valley and previously unbeaten and no. 5 Wauconda.
Batavia also maks a big surge.
One note worth mentioning about the methodology, typically the poll does not penalize teams that have ties against top-notch programs. Glenbrook South became an exception as they jumped ahead of New Trier and Loyola by dint of winning the prestigious Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic on Saturday in Northfield.
But the Titans can't rest on their laurels -- they host New Trier on Tuesday.
The state’s toughest tournament, the Naperville Invitational, begins pool play Thursday. Eleven of the 24 teams are ranked this week. Another two are in honorable mention.
Six teams in the top 10 will compete for the title.
With the conclusion of the Pepsi next Sunday and the beginning of the Naperville Invitational, many things intersect this week. It will contribute to a clearer picture of where things stand.
For now.
For now.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
A person in the know volunteered the following remarks to help give context to the first five weeks of the season.
“St. Charles North is the best team in the state, struggles defensively, but there is no better front five in the state than theirs.”
“Naperville North is very athletic and could be one of the best teams in the state if they figure it out [offensively].”
“Naperville Central is good enough to make it in the Top 25.”
One thing that is obvious a month into the season is that nothing is obvious. There have been some stunning results, surprises and games that just go against the common presuppositions.
St. Charles North’s offense is putting up historic numbers. They have rung up seven, six and six goals respectively against Geneva, Plainfield North and Libertyville -- programs that are among the most talented in the state. They shut out Neuqua Valley, currently one of the hottest team in the state.
St. Charles North advances to a PepsiCo bracket title game April 22. The North Stars will meet Wheaton Warrenville South, which makes a big leap up the ladder following statement wins against former no. 6 Metea Valley and previously unbeaten and no. 5 Wauconda.
Batavia also maks a big surge.
One note worth mentioning about the methodology, typically the poll does not penalize teams that have ties against top-notch programs. Glenbrook South became an exception as they jumped ahead of New Trier and Loyola by dint of winning the prestigious Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish Classic on Saturday in Northfield.
But the Titans can't rest on their laurels -- they host New Trier on Tuesday.
The state’s toughest tournament, the Naperville Invitational, begins pool play Thursday. Eleven of the 24 teams are ranked this week. Another two are in honorable mention.
Six teams in the top 10 will compete for the title.
With the conclusion of the Pepsi next Sunday and the beginning of the Naperville Invitational, many things intersect this week. It will contribute to a clearer picture of where things stand.
For now.
For now.
| Rk | LW | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Barrington | 5 | 0 | 2 | Madi Rosen is an elite stopper |
| 2 | 3 | St. Charles North | 8 | 0 | 1 | Sara Maleski is skilled keeper |
| 3 | 18 | Glenbrook South | 8 | 0 | 3 | Katie Weiss powers Lou Malnati's title |
| 4 | 2 | New Trier | 5 | 0 | 2 | Whitney Hoban is elite midfielder |
| 5 | 4 | Loyola | 6 | 0 | 1 | Faith Craddock is valuable defender |
| 6 | 10 | Neuqua Valley | 4 | 3 | 0 | Alison Dovalovsky is emerging standout |
| 7 | 23 | Wheaton Warrenville South | 6 | 1 | 0 | Jennifer Aalbue powers Tigers to Pepsi finals berth |
| 8 | HM | Evanston | 6 | 4 | 2 | Ruby Siegel makes spectacular keeper debut |
| 9 | 7 | Naperville North | 5 | 1 | 3 | Reilly Riggs is emerging elite defender |
| 10 | 20 | St. Francis | 5 | 2 | 1 | Mickey Corrigan is part of explosive attack |
| 11 | 5 | Wauconda | 7 | 1 | 0 | Falls to WW South for first loss |
| 12 | 8 | Libertyville | 4 | 1 | 0 | Morgan Verbeten is superb |
| 13 | 9 | Wheaton Academy | 5 | 2 | 0 | Morgan Finnegan is a skilled forward |
| 14 | 15 | Lemont | 8 | 0 | 0 | Looking for a test |
| 15 | 24 | Batavia | 8 | 1 | 1 | Zaira Solis gets GW against DG South |
| 16 | 6 | Metea Valley | 6 | 4 | 0 | Charlotte Ives is skilled midfielder |
| 17 | 17 | Deerfield | 10 | 2 | 0 | Karley Morris has been superb keeper |
| 18 | 11 | Waubonsie Valley | 6 | 1 | 2 | Extended Neuqua Valley to 2 OT |
| 19 | 19 | Benet | 8 | 1 | 0 | Maddie Becker is excellent in midfield |
| 20 | 16 | Geneva | 5 | 3 | 1 | Kelly Konicek contributes to skilled midfield |
| 21 | 13 | Downers Grove North | 5 | 2 | 2 | Margaret Urbanski is valuable weapon in middle |
| 22 | 21 | St. Charles East | 6 | 2 | 3 | Kayla Villa is excellent midfielder |
| 23 | HM | Lane | 4 | 3 | 1 | Isabella Oganovich is two-way Indians’ star |
| 24 | 25 | Fenwick | 8 | 2 | 0 | Morgan Hosty is skilled talent |
| 25 | 22 | Plainfield North | 7 | 2 | 1 | Molly Grant is exciting to watch |
Look out for: Stagg, Latin, Prairie Ridge, Carmel, Plainfield South, Sycamore, Lyons, Fremd, Burlington Central, Naperville Central, Bradley-Bourbonnais, Lake Zurich, Andrew, York, Prospect
