Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The game never gets old.
What else is there to say after another breathtaking and wild week of soccer. In some ways, the early delirium of the first week has settled down.
In other ways, we are still trying to get a grasp of the season: the top teams and what they have to offer; those in a position to really be dangerous, and the next group of programs on the rise.
The start of PepsiCo Showdown added to the intrigue with some interesting first round games. Defending Class AA state champion Crystal Lake South gave top-ranked Morton a run for its money in a 2-1 Mustangs win. West Chicago beating a very good Metea Valley team on penalty kicks.
There’s the rub. In probably the best Top 10 matchup, Lyons ended Solorio’s perfect start by beating the Sun Warriors 5-3 in the penalty kick phase after the game ended 1-1 in regulation. That was also the pre-PK score of the West Chicago and Metea Valley game.
For this week the movement at the very top of the poll was nil with Morton, Libertyville and Naperville North remaining in their past perch.
Oak Park and River Forest is a program on the rise. The Huskies stunned Morton in the state tournament last year to reach a Class 3A sectional final. There they lost a tight game against conference rival Lyons.
The Huskies, who have 13 players back, went to Indianapolis and played fantastic soccer. They beat Lawrence North (Ind.) 3-1 and lost 1-0 to Hoosier power North Central. Keep an eye on Oak Park and River Forest.
The technical end of summer marks another rite of passage, with many conferences getting into the teeth of their schedules.
Now it really starts to get interesting.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The game never gets old.
What else is there to say after another breathtaking and wild week of soccer. In some ways, the early delirium of the first week has settled down.
In other ways, we are still trying to get a grasp of the season: the top teams and what they have to offer; those in a position to really be dangerous, and the next group of programs on the rise.
The start of PepsiCo Showdown added to the intrigue with some interesting first round games. Defending Class AA state champion Crystal Lake South gave top-ranked Morton a run for its money in a 2-1 Mustangs win. West Chicago beating a very good Metea Valley team on penalty kicks.
There’s the rub. In probably the best Top 10 matchup, Lyons ended Solorio’s perfect start by beating the Sun Warriors 5-3 in the penalty kick phase after the game ended 1-1 in regulation. That was also the pre-PK score of the West Chicago and Metea Valley game.
For this week the movement at the very top of the poll was nil with Morton, Libertyville and Naperville North remaining in their past perch.
Oak Park and River Forest is a program on the rise. The Huskies stunned Morton in the state tournament last year to reach a Class 3A sectional final. There they lost a tight game against conference rival Lyons.
The Huskies, who have 13 players back, went to Indianapolis and played fantastic soccer. They beat Lawrence North (Ind.) 3-1 and lost 1-0 to Hoosier power North Central. Keep an eye on Oak Park and River Forest.
The technical end of summer marks another rite of passage, with many conferences getting into the teeth of their schedules.
Now it really starts to get interesting.
| Rk | Last wk | Team | W | L | T | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Morton | 6 | 0 | 2 | GK Andreas Calderon saves 2 PKs vs. CLS |
| 2 | 2 | Libertyville | 7 | 0 | 0 | Cade Upton is a talented player |
| 3 | 3 | Naperville N | 6 | 2 | 2 | Zach Smith's a goal-scorer |
| 4 | 6 | Lyons | 4 | 1 | 2 | Mike Niedermeyer is a versatile talent |
| 5 | 4 | Solorio | 9 | 1 | 0 | Rafael Soto helps offense thrive |
| 6 | 5 | St. Patrick | 7 | 0 | 2 | Angel Adame is fun to watch |
| 7 | 8 | New Trier | 6 | 1 | 1 | Aidan Crowder is new catalyst |
| 8 | 9 | Warren | 8 | 0 | 0 | Max Floriani big against Waukegan |
| 9 | 12 | OPRF | 7 | 1 | 1 | Zaahir Hall is very athletic |
| 10 | 7 | Naperville C | 6 | 1 | 3 | James Kim is creative talent |
| 11 | 13 | Benet | 5 | 1 | 0 | Nick Augustyn is skilled offensively |
| 12 | 14 | W. Chicago | 8 | 0 | 1 | Survives Metea Valley in shootout |
| 13 | 15 | Lockport | 7 | 0 | 1 | Hot start continues |
| 14 | 18 | Glenbrook S | 5 | 1 | 2 | Jhovany Guadarrama has smooth touch |
| 15 | 20 | Loyola | 6 | 2 | 0 | Andrew Hoepfner is a dynamic player |
| 16 | 11 | Fremd | 2 | 1 | 3 | C.J. Williams is versatile talent |
| 17 | 19 | Barrington | 6 | 2 | 0 | Broncos looking to stay hot |
| 18 | 21 | Glenbard East | 6 | 2 | 0 | Showdown with W. Aurora |
| 19 | 16 | Metea Valley | 3 | 2 | 3 | Alex Krehl is offensive threat |
| 20 | 17 | St. Charles N. | 5 | 2 | 1 | Luke Persenico has stepped up |
| 21 | 23 | Zion-Benton | 7 | 1 | 1 | Best start in years |
| 22 | 22 | Highland Park | 6 | 2 | 1 | Deep and athletic |
| 23 | HM | Crystal Lake South | 5 | 2 | 2 | Big effort against Morton |
| 24 | HM | St. Charles East | 8 | 1 | 1 | Soph Sebastian Carranza red hot |
| 25 | HM | Addison Trail | 7 | 1 | 0 | On a four-game win streak |
Look out for: Barlett, Buffalo Grove, Maine South, West Aurora, Round Lake, Marmion, York, Wheaton North, Evanston, Mount Carmel, Plainfield North, St. Ignatius, Washington (Chicago), Oswego, Lane