Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
A season that has progressed through important movements now reaches its most important stage: the race to determine the teams that go down in state history in Class A, Class AA and Class 3A.
This marks the final poll of the regular season. Play-in games for the two largest classes finished this weekend. The state tournament begins Tuesday for the big-school top seeds and continues into sectionals in Class A.
Geography profoundly shapes the tournament. As the final poll shows, many of the top programs are clustered in similar regions: especially the North Shore and the western suburbs.
The Class 3A Glenbrook South Sectional complex features four teams ranked in the top nine in this poll. Undefeated no. 2 and top-seeded New Trier and once-beaten no. 6 Loyola (no. 2 seed) are two of the hottest teams in the state and playing their best soccer at the right time. No. 8 Glenbrook North (5) and no. 9 Glenbrook South (3) could be top seeds in other areas. Four-time defending city champion Lane (7) moves up to no. 14 in the poll this week, and no one will sleep on always-dangerous Evanston (4), which tops the honorable mention list.
At Plainfield North, no. 3 Naperville North is the top seed followed by no. 5 Neuqua Valley (3) and no. 25 Metea Valley (2). Seventeenth-ranked Waubonsie Valley (4) is ready for another go at its fellow DVC members. Previously ranked and honorable mention programs Naperville Central, Plainfield North and West Aurora figure in the mix.
Top-ranked St. Charles North is the top-seed at Geneva followed by no. 20 Wheaton Warrenville South (2), no. 19 Batavia (3), no. 22 St. Charles East (4) and the host Vikings (5), who rank among the honorable mention teams.
Defending Class 3A champion Barrington has been pushed out west to Guilford, giving the no. 4 and top-seeded Fillies a dominant edge in that sectional. That opens up the field in the Lake County region at Libertyville, with no. 16 Carmel, a fourth seed, in with a big chance along with with honorably mentioned and top-seeded Lake Zurich.
At York, no. 23 and top-seeded Lyons and honorable mention member Downers Grove North (no 2. seed) are the favorites to advance. Top-seeded Stagg, no. 24 this week, holds the edge over honorable mention member and second-seeded Andrew at the Thunderbirds’ sectional.
Eight Class AA teams reside in the final Top 25 poll. No. 12 Wauconda and no. 14 Deerfield are the top two seeds respectively at Saint Viator. The highest AA program in the final poll, no. 7 Burlington Central, is a no. 2 subsectional seed at Rochelle.
Tenth-ranked Lemont, like Burlington Central a defending state finalist, is the top seed of its own sectional. Eleventh-ranked St. Francis is a no. 3 seed at Fenwick with one-loss no. 18 Latin, now at its highest rank of the year, a second seed. Benet, which returns to the Top 25, is the top-seed at Hinsdale South.
The next three weeks will be dramatic and thrilling, and will help fill in the blanks. Right now, this final poll is a way of both looking back and looking forward, a guide of what to watch for during the state tournament.
Come back to this space June 3, the day after the Class AA and Class 3A state championships, for Chicagoland Soccer's exclusive end of the season Final 50 poll, which brings together the Top 25 and the Illinois 10 to create a comprehensive end of the year list.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
A season that has progressed through important movements now reaches its most important stage: the race to determine the teams that go down in state history in Class A, Class AA and Class 3A.
This marks the final poll of the regular season. Play-in games for the two largest classes finished this weekend. The state tournament begins Tuesday for the big-school top seeds and continues into sectionals in Class A.
Geography profoundly shapes the tournament. As the final poll shows, many of the top programs are clustered in similar regions: especially the North Shore and the western suburbs.
The Class 3A Glenbrook South Sectional complex features four teams ranked in the top nine in this poll. Undefeated no. 2 and top-seeded New Trier and once-beaten no. 6 Loyola (no. 2 seed) are two of the hottest teams in the state and playing their best soccer at the right time. No. 8 Glenbrook North (5) and no. 9 Glenbrook South (3) could be top seeds in other areas. Four-time defending city champion Lane (7) moves up to no. 14 in the poll this week, and no one will sleep on always-dangerous Evanston (4), which tops the honorable mention list.
At Plainfield North, no. 3 Naperville North is the top seed followed by no. 5 Neuqua Valley (3) and no. 25 Metea Valley (2). Seventeenth-ranked Waubonsie Valley (4) is ready for another go at its fellow DVC members. Previously ranked and honorable mention programs Naperville Central, Plainfield North and West Aurora figure in the mix.
Top-ranked St. Charles North is the top-seed at Geneva followed by no. 20 Wheaton Warrenville South (2), no. 19 Batavia (3), no. 22 St. Charles East (4) and the host Vikings (5), who rank among the honorable mention teams.
Defending Class 3A champion Barrington has been pushed out west to Guilford, giving the no. 4 and top-seeded Fillies a dominant edge in that sectional. That opens up the field in the Lake County region at Libertyville, with no. 16 Carmel, a fourth seed, in with a big chance along with with honorably mentioned and top-seeded Lake Zurich.
At York, no. 23 and top-seeded Lyons and honorable mention member Downers Grove North (no 2. seed) are the favorites to advance. Top-seeded Stagg, no. 24 this week, holds the edge over honorable mention member and second-seeded Andrew at the Thunderbirds’ sectional.
Eight Class AA teams reside in the final Top 25 poll. No. 12 Wauconda and no. 14 Deerfield are the top two seeds respectively at Saint Viator. The highest AA program in the final poll, no. 7 Burlington Central, is a no. 2 subsectional seed at Rochelle.
Tenth-ranked Lemont, like Burlington Central a defending state finalist, is the top seed of its own sectional. Eleventh-ranked St. Francis is a no. 3 seed at Fenwick with one-loss no. 18 Latin, now at its highest rank of the year, a second seed. Benet, which returns to the Top 25, is the top-seed at Hinsdale South.
The next three weeks will be dramatic and thrilling, and will help fill in the blanks. Right now, this final poll is a way of both looking back and looking forward, a guide of what to watch for during the state tournament.
Come back to this space June 3, the day after the Class AA and Class 3A state championships, for Chicagoland Soccer's exclusive end of the season Final 50 poll, which brings together the Top 25 and the Illinois 10 to create a comprehensive end of the year list.
| Rk | LW | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | St. Charles North | 17 | 0 | 1 | No. 1 seed at Geneva |
| 2 | 2 | New Trier | 18 | 0 | 2 | No. 1 seed at Glenbrook South |
| 3 | 3 | Naperville North | 15 | 3 | 4 | No. 1 seed at Plainfield North |
| 4 | 4 | Barrington | 14 | 3 | 2 | No. 1 seed at Guilford |
| 5 | 5 | Neuqua Valley | 11 | 5 | 0 | No. 3 seed at Plainfield North |
| 6 | 7 | Loyola | 16 | 1 | 4 | No. 2 seed at Glenbrook South |
| 7 | 11 | Burlington Central | 19 | 2 | 0 | No. 2 subsectional seed at AA Rochelle |
| 8 | 8 | Glenbrook North | 11 | 2 | 4 | No. 5 seed at Glenbrook South |
| 9 | 10 | Glenbrook South | 17 | 3 | 5 | No. 3 seed at own sectional |
| 10 | 15 | Lemont | 19 | 1 | 0 | No. 1 seed at own AA sectional |
| 11 | 6 | St. Francis | 11 | 4 | 3 | No. 3 seed at AA Fenwick |
| 12 | 13 | Wauconda | 14 | 1 | 1 | No. 1 seed at AA St. Viator |
| 13 | 14 | Deerfield | 16 | 4 | 3 | No. 2 seed at AA St. Viator |
| 14 | 17 | Lane | 13 | 3 | 2 | No. 7 seed at Glenbrook South |
| 15 | HM | Prairie Ridge | 15 | 0 | 0 | No. 1 sub sectional seed at AA Rochelle |
| 16 | 18 | Carmel | 12 | 4 | 1 | No. 4 seed at Libertyville |
| 17 | 20 | Waubonsie Valley | 12 | 4 | 3 | No. 4 seed at Plainfield North |
| 18 | 21 | Latin | 18 | 1 | 0 | No. 2 seed at AA Fenwick |
| 19 | 16 | Batavia | 13 | 3 | 2 | No. 3 seed at Geneva |
| 20 | 12 | Wheaton Warrenville South | 13 | 7 | 0 | No. 2 seed at Geneva |
| 21 | HM | Benet | 16 | 3 | 1 | No. 1 seed at AA Hinsdale South |
| 22 | 22 | St. Charles East | 11 | 5 | 6 | No. 4 seed at Geneva |
| 23 | 24 | Lyons | 13 | 5 | 1 | No. 1 seed at Downers Grove South |
| 24 | HM | Stagg | 15 | 3 | 1 | No. 1 seed at Andrew |
| 25 | 19 | Metea Valley | 12 | 7 | 3 | No. 2 seed at Plainfield North |
Look out for: Evanston, Fenwick, Conant, Cary-Grove, Mundelein, Lake Zurich, Plainfield North, Glenbard East, Geneva, Wheaton Academy, Sycamore, Downers Grove North, Morton, Andrew, Kaneland