Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Nine and six.
On the final weekend of the regular season, Barrington and Lane brought a familiar jolt to the most organizationally disjointed year imaginable.
After tieing Buffalo Grove 1-1 in the regular-season, Barrington defeated the Bison 3-0 for its ninth-consecutive Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl title Friday night. The win also extended an unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1) and victory streak to eight.
Lane, behind three goals by emerging star Scout Murray, defeated Payton 5-0 to capture its sixth-consecutive Chicago Public League Tournament city championship Thursday night.
Lane also won its eighth-consecutive game, all by shutout with a goal differential of 59-0, and is unbeaten in 11 games (9-0-2).
Those two results and the historic end-of-year regular-season battle of powerhouse programs New Trier and Fremd, a 1-0 Trevians win, signified the end of the season’s first movement.
As the next stage of this wild year begins this week with the playoffs, it seems necessary to marvel at what just unfolded.
Echoing the boys’ season that was completed in this pandemic, against all odds the girls soccer season proved remarkably fresh and sustained high-level competition given the absurd circumstances of two full years away from active competition.
Almost two years to the date that Naperville North and Benet won the Class 3A and Class AA state championships respectively, the interruption of play occasioned by COVID-19 made virtually all far-reaching questions about how this year would play out purely speculative.
Unfortunately, the boys had no state tournament to achieve the necessary closure.
For the first time in the three-class era, the Class A state series is on the same timeline as its big sisters. Typically it started a week earlier.
The three state championship games will play out in the same location on the same day: at Hoffman Estates High School on June 19. The third place games are scheduled the same day at Fremd.
The most significant difference is the absence of traditional regionals and sectional sites. The move was prudent due to pandemic, but with higher-seeded host sites will likely significantly diminish the number of upsets.
The only neutral-site scenarios will play out at the supersectionals and state finals, with the possible exception if Fremd advances to the Final Four.
As the IHSA points out, the sectional hosts such as Warren, Lyons or Morton are merely “geographical identifiers,” grouping together the 16 to 18 programs in each “sectional.”
Nevertheless, going off the final regular-season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, it remains possible to gauge the depth and qualify of each sectional.
With Lane jumping up to no. 14, the Maine South Sectional features five teams in the top 15: New Trier, Loyola, Evanston, Glenbrook North and Lane.
The Warren Sectional is just behind with four teams in the top 22: Libertyville, Warren, Fremd and Highland Park, with Buffalo Grove near the top of the Top 25’s honorable mention teams.
Only one of those teams is going to reach the Final Four given that the two sectional winners confront each other in the supersectional.
Bartlett features top-ranked St. Charles East, St. Charles North and the Hawks, who with Highland Park have the curious distinction of being the lowest tournament seeds (no. 6) to be ranked in the Top 25.
Morton has a sectional boast that nobody can match: three undefeated and untied teams in Benet, Lyons and Downers Grove South.
At Bolingbrook, rivals Naperville Central and Naperville North are the top two seeds. They have played 200 minutes of soccer this year (four 10-minute overtimes) that resulted in two tied matches.
If they meet again, we are finally going to get a result.
In Class AA, St. Francis and Triad, the top team in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 ranking, are the teams to beat. Joliet Catholic is the favorite to reach the state semifinal opposite St. Francis.
Undefeated Glenwood, ranked third in the Illinois 10, is another team to watch.
Wheaton Academy and Althoff are the favorites in Class A. Unfortunately they would meet in a state semifinal and not the championship.
Notre Dame (Quincy) is the favorite in the bottom half of the bracket to reach the title game.
On June 20, come back to Chicagoland Soccer for the Final 50, the definitive final rankings of the state’s best teams, regardless of class and geography.
As pointed out last week, some of the teams and their gaudy records are impossible to adjudicate this year given the lack of out-of-conference or elite-tournament play during the regular-season.
The state tournament, more than ever this season, will be the great equalizer.
Herewith is the final Top 25 list of the season. Unless otherwise indicated, sectional seed refers to Class 3A.
Games through Sunday
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Nine and six.
On the final weekend of the regular season, Barrington and Lane brought a familiar jolt to the most organizationally disjointed year imaginable.
After tieing Buffalo Grove 1-1 in the regular-season, Barrington defeated the Bison 3-0 for its ninth-consecutive Mid-Suburban League Soccer Bowl title Friday night. The win also extended an unbeaten streak to 11 games (10-0-1) and victory streak to eight.
Lane, behind three goals by emerging star Scout Murray, defeated Payton 5-0 to capture its sixth-consecutive Chicago Public League Tournament city championship Thursday night.
Lane also won its eighth-consecutive game, all by shutout with a goal differential of 59-0, and is unbeaten in 11 games (9-0-2).
Those two results and the historic end-of-year regular-season battle of powerhouse programs New Trier and Fremd, a 1-0 Trevians win, signified the end of the season’s first movement.
As the next stage of this wild year begins this week with the playoffs, it seems necessary to marvel at what just unfolded.
Echoing the boys’ season that was completed in this pandemic, against all odds the girls soccer season proved remarkably fresh and sustained high-level competition given the absurd circumstances of two full years away from active competition.
Almost two years to the date that Naperville North and Benet won the Class 3A and Class AA state championships respectively, the interruption of play occasioned by COVID-19 made virtually all far-reaching questions about how this year would play out purely speculative.
Unfortunately, the boys had no state tournament to achieve the necessary closure.
For the first time in the three-class era, the Class A state series is on the same timeline as its big sisters. Typically it started a week earlier.
The three state championship games will play out in the same location on the same day: at Hoffman Estates High School on June 19. The third place games are scheduled the same day at Fremd.
The most significant difference is the absence of traditional regionals and sectional sites. The move was prudent due to pandemic, but with higher-seeded host sites will likely significantly diminish the number of upsets.
The only neutral-site scenarios will play out at the supersectionals and state finals, with the possible exception if Fremd advances to the Final Four.
As the IHSA points out, the sectional hosts such as Warren, Lyons or Morton are merely “geographical identifiers,” grouping together the 16 to 18 programs in each “sectional.”
Nevertheless, going off the final regular-season Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, it remains possible to gauge the depth and qualify of each sectional.
With Lane jumping up to no. 14, the Maine South Sectional features five teams in the top 15: New Trier, Loyola, Evanston, Glenbrook North and Lane.
The Warren Sectional is just behind with four teams in the top 22: Libertyville, Warren, Fremd and Highland Park, with Buffalo Grove near the top of the Top 25’s honorable mention teams.
Only one of those teams is going to reach the Final Four given that the two sectional winners confront each other in the supersectional.
Bartlett features top-ranked St. Charles East, St. Charles North and the Hawks, who with Highland Park have the curious distinction of being the lowest tournament seeds (no. 6) to be ranked in the Top 25.
Morton has a sectional boast that nobody can match: three undefeated and untied teams in Benet, Lyons and Downers Grove South.
At Bolingbrook, rivals Naperville Central and Naperville North are the top two seeds. They have played 200 minutes of soccer this year (four 10-minute overtimes) that resulted in two tied matches.
If they meet again, we are finally going to get a result.
In Class AA, St. Francis and Triad, the top team in the Chicagoland Soccer Illinois 10 ranking, are the teams to beat. Joliet Catholic is the favorite to reach the state semifinal opposite St. Francis.
Undefeated Glenwood, ranked third in the Illinois 10, is another team to watch.
Wheaton Academy and Althoff are the favorites in Class A. Unfortunately they would meet in a state semifinal and not the championship.
Notre Dame (Quincy) is the favorite in the bottom half of the bracket to reach the title game.
On June 20, come back to Chicagoland Soccer for the Final 50, the definitive final rankings of the state’s best teams, regardless of class and geography.
As pointed out last week, some of the teams and their gaudy records are impossible to adjudicate this year given the lack of out-of-conference or elite-tournament play during the regular-season.
The state tournament, more than ever this season, will be the great equalizer.
Herewith is the final Top 25 list of the season. Unless otherwise indicated, sectional seed refers to Class 3A.
Games through Sunday
| Rk | LW | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | St. Charles East | 18 | 0 | 1 | No. 1 seed at Bartlett |
| 2 | 2 | Benet | 15 | 0 | 0 | No. 1 seed at Morton |
| 3 | 3 | Libertyville | 12 | 1 | 0 | No. 1 seed at Warren |
| 4 | 4 | New Trier | 16 | 1 | 4 | No. 1 seed at Maine South |
| 5 | 5 | Barrington | 12 | 1 | 2 | No. 1 seed at Huntley |
| 6 | 7 | Loyola | 14 | 1 | 2 | No. 3 seed at Maine South |
| 7 | 6 | Naperville Central | 10 | 1 | 4 | No. 1 seed at Bolingbrook |
| 8 | 8 | Warren | 13 | 1 | 3 | No. 2 seed at own sectional |
| 9 | 9 | Lyons | 14 | 0 | 0 | No. 2 seed at Morton |
| 10 | 10 | St. Charles North | 12 | 4 | 2 | No. 2 seed at Bartlett |
| 11 | 11 | Naperville North | 8 | 2 | 3 | No. 2 seed at Bolingbrook |
| 12 | 12 | Glenbrook North | 12 | 1 | 3 | No. 4 seed at Maine South |
| 13 | 14 | Evanston | 12 | 2 | 3 | No. 2 seed at Maine South |
| 14 | 21 | Lane | 11 | 3 | 2 | No. 5 seed at Maine South |
| 15 | 13 | Sandburg | 14 | 1 | 0 | No. 1 seed hosts sectional |
| 16 | 16 | Joliet Catholic | 11 | 1 | 1 | No. 1 sub-sectional seed at AA Lemont |
| 17 | 18 | Oswego East | 13 | 0 | 0 | No.3 seed at Bolingbrook |
| 18 | 17 | St. Francis | 11 | 0 | 0 | No. 1 seed at AA Solorio |
| 19 | 15 | Stevenson | 11 | 3 | 1 | No. 3 seed at Warren |
| 20 | 22 | Highland Park | 13 | 3 | 0 | No. 6 seed at Warren |
| 21 | 20 | Young | 13 | 4 | 1 | No. 5 seed at Morton |
| 22 | 19 | Fremd | 10 | 3 | 0 | No. 4 seed at Warren |
| 23 | 23 | Bartlett | 10 | 2 | 1 | No. 6 seed at own sectional |
| 24 | HM | Burlington Central | 12 | 6 | 1 | No. 1 sub-sectional seed at AA Freeport |
| 25 | NR | Wheaton Academy | 14 | 4 | 0 | No. 1 sub-sectional seed at A Lisle |
Look out for: Jones, Buffalo Grove, Prairie Ridge, Cary-Grove, Wheaton Warrenville South, Geneva, Wheaton North, Downers Grove South, Crystal Lake Central, Plainfield North, Oswego, Fenwick, Lemont, Metea Valley, St. Ignatius.
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