Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
First, a personal admission. Never in the seven years I have been doing this (including a top 10 rating previously for the Chicago Sun-Times) have I had four different no. 1 teams in as many weeks.
With another foundational shake-up, that is exactly what we are left with -- Naperville North is the latest program to ascend to the top spot. The Huskies have hovered below the pinnacle the entire season. Now they have risen to it after 13 wins in a row and their extraordinary performance in the Naperville Invitational.
The Huskies (13-1-0) posted five shutouts and outscored their five opponents by an aggregate 15-0. They defeated highly rated programs Lyons, Geneva, previous no. 1 Barrington and rival Naperville Central.
How long Naperville North maintains its position atop the poll is another question entirely. The Huskies have little respite from the rigors of the DuPage Valley Conference. A rematch looms as the new no. 1 takes on Naperville Central. Two days later the Huskies face Waubonsie Valley.
Naperville North is the team of the moment, and perhaps of the season. Still, seven or eight teams are bunched at the top. That is not likely to change from now until the end of the season. A year that began seemingly concentrated at the top has now spread out.
It makes for very compelling soccer.
The other significant action was the release of the seedings for the state tournament.
Naperville North (Metea Valley), St. Charles North (Bartlett), New Trier (Maine South), Lyons (Hinsdale Central) and Sandburg (Lincoln-Way East) each received a no. 1 sectional seed.
In Class 2A, Chicagoland Soccer programs Deerfield and St. Francis also earned top seeds.
A season that has started like a freight train is now rapidly rolling closer to the end of the regular season. This week marked pretty much the end of the in-season tournaments, with the exception of the forthcoming Chicago Public League postseason tournament that starts group play this week.
For the most part, teams are now fighting for conference supremacy. In conferences like the Mid-Suburban and North Suburban, the chance to play in conference title matches are the prize.
New Trier and Evanston play Saturday for the Central Suburban League South Division crown. New Trier beat Evanston 2-1 in overtime in a PepsiCo Showdown semifinal late last month.
Other observations in the wake of what just unfolded is the rise of another Naperville team, this one the Redhawks from Naperville Central. They posted back-to-back marathon wins over top-rated teams, a double overtime quarterfinal win over Plainfield North and a shootout win over St. Charles East. As a measure of its improvement, Naperville Central lost to the Saints 3-0 at a previous tournament.
Glenbrook South is the other top riser of the week, moving from honorable mention into the top 10. The Titans cut through a strong field to win the Glenbrook Cup, dominating Warren 3-0 in the final. They also beat Normal West, a team now in the Illinois 10 poll, by a commanding 4-1 score in the semifinals.
By virtue of its 2-0 upset victory over district rival Glenbard East, Glenbard West also joins the top 25.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
First, a personal admission. Never in the seven years I have been doing this (including a top 10 rating previously for the Chicago Sun-Times) have I had four different no. 1 teams in as many weeks.
With another foundational shake-up, that is exactly what we are left with -- Naperville North is the latest program to ascend to the top spot. The Huskies have hovered below the pinnacle the entire season. Now they have risen to it after 13 wins in a row and their extraordinary performance in the Naperville Invitational.
The Huskies (13-1-0) posted five shutouts and outscored their five opponents by an aggregate 15-0. They defeated highly rated programs Lyons, Geneva, previous no. 1 Barrington and rival Naperville Central.
How long Naperville North maintains its position atop the poll is another question entirely. The Huskies have little respite from the rigors of the DuPage Valley Conference. A rematch looms as the new no. 1 takes on Naperville Central. Two days later the Huskies face Waubonsie Valley.
Naperville North is the team of the moment, and perhaps of the season. Still, seven or eight teams are bunched at the top. That is not likely to change from now until the end of the season. A year that began seemingly concentrated at the top has now spread out.
It makes for very compelling soccer.
The other significant action was the release of the seedings for the state tournament.
Naperville North (Metea Valley), St. Charles North (Bartlett), New Trier (Maine South), Lyons (Hinsdale Central) and Sandburg (Lincoln-Way East) each received a no. 1 sectional seed.
In Class 2A, Chicagoland Soccer programs Deerfield and St. Francis also earned top seeds.
A season that has started like a freight train is now rapidly rolling closer to the end of the regular season. This week marked pretty much the end of the in-season tournaments, with the exception of the forthcoming Chicago Public League postseason tournament that starts group play this week.
For the most part, teams are now fighting for conference supremacy. In conferences like the Mid-Suburban and North Suburban, the chance to play in conference title matches are the prize.
New Trier and Evanston play Saturday for the Central Suburban League South Division crown. New Trier beat Evanston 2-1 in overtime in a PepsiCo Showdown semifinal late last month.
Other observations in the wake of what just unfolded is the rise of another Naperville team, this one the Redhawks from Naperville Central. They posted back-to-back marathon wins over top-rated teams, a double overtime quarterfinal win over Plainfield North and a shootout win over St. Charles East. As a measure of its improvement, Naperville Central lost to the Saints 3-0 at a previous tournament.
Glenbrook South is the other top riser of the week, moving from honorable mention into the top 10. The Titans cut through a strong field to win the Glenbrook Cup, dominating Warren 3-0 in the final. They also beat Normal West, a team now in the Illinois 10 poll, by a commanding 4-1 score in the semifinals.
By virtue of its 2-0 upset victory over district rival Glenbard East, Glenbard West also joins the top 25.
| Rank | LW | School | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Naperville North | 13 | 1 | 0 | Shaina Dudas bright young sophomore |
| 2 | 1 | Barrington | 12 | 2 | 1 | Kayla Schutter is emerging star |
| 3 | 12 | Naperville Central | 10 | 4 | 3 | Makes statement at Naperville Invitational |
| 4 | 7 | St. Charles East | 12 | 3 | 0 | Hannah Kolb is player to watch |
| 5 | 3 | New Trier | 14 | 2 | 1 | Kelly Maday is back |
| 6 | 6 | St. Charles North | 10 | 3 | 1 | Top seed at Bartlett sectional |
| 7 | 5 | Evanston | 15 | 2 | 3 | New Trier rematch Saturday |
| 8 | 4 | Loyola | 14 | 3 | 3 | Brutal stretch for Ramblers |
| 9 | HM | Glenbrook South | 13 | 2 | 2 | Olivia Peters stars in Glenbrook Cup win |
| 10 | 9 | Geneva | 11 | 3 | 1 | Kyleigh Dominguez is potent attacker |
| 11 | 10 | Lyons | 13 | 2 | 2 | Delaney Fox is electric offensive talent |
| 12 | 11 | Sandburg | 11 | 1 | 3 | Paige Pappanastos is a difference-maker |
| 13 | 8 | Plainfield North | 9 | 5 | 2 | Jessica Christmas is skilled and graceful |
| 14 | 14 | Batavia | 12 | 3 | 0 | Keegan Maris is a terrific talent |
| 15 | 20 | Huntley | 15 | 2 | 1 | Red Raiders are untested |
| 16 | 13 | Waubonsie Valley | 9 | 5 | 1 | Sam Stricker is terrific facilitator |
| 17 | HM | Warren | 10 | 7 | 1 | Skylar Reilly is hero against Deerfield |
| 18 | HM | Deerfield | 13 | 5 | 0 | Chloe Cappas is a top-rated sophomore |
| 19 | 16 | WW South | 9 | 4 | 2 | Ava Fickle is an elite young defender |
| 20 | 18 | Glenbard East | 14 | 4 | 0 | Dana Plotke is skilled in the middle |
| 21 | 25 | Prospect | 10 | 2 | 4 | Shawna Stokes helps bring home Glenwood title |
| 22 | 22 | Andrew | 16 | 2 | 0 | Unbeaten in April |
| 23 | 21 | Bartlett | 13 | 5 | 1 | Jenna Dombrowski is making noise |
| 24 | 19 | Lake Zurich | 9 | 4 | 3 | Libertyville showdown Tuesday |
| 25 | HM | Glenbard West | 8 | 5 | 0 | Emma Walsh sparks win over rival Glenbard E |
Look out for: Minooka, Carmel, Glenbrook North, Libertyville, Benet, Fremd, Hinsdale Central, Downers Grove South, Maine South, Wauconda, St. Francis, Metea Valley, Lincoln-Way West, Lincoln-Way East, Neuqua Valley.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the interests of full disclosure to our Chicagoland Soccer readers, Patrick Z. McGavin's niece is on the Geneva High School varsity.
EDITOR'S NOTE: In the interests of full disclosure to our Chicagoland Soccer readers, Patrick Z. McGavin's niece is on the Geneva High School varsity.