Class 3A preview
By Steve Nemeth
Huntley and Glenbard East have guaranteed themselves their first IHSA state tournament trophies. Downstate Collinsville would love an upgrade from 2015’s fourth-place award. And New Trier? All the Trevians want is a three-peat.
Who earns what this season will start to be decided Friday at North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville. The finalists will be determined after New Trier faces Huntley in the 5 p.m. semifinal followed at 7 p.m. by Collinsville and Glenbard East.
Glenbard East (23-4-0)
The Rams' semifinal opponent Collinsville, which stands third in Chicagoland Soccer's Illinois 10 poll and is nationally ranked, is once again vying for Class 3A hardware. That, plus the fact that the downstate program is favored in the Friday game elicits a collective shrug from Glenbard East.
Or as Rams goalie and Brandeis signee Sierra Dana put it: “So what else is new?
“We weren’t favored to win the regional. We weren’t favored to beat Lyons in the sectional semi. We weren’t favored to beat Hinsdale Central on their field for the sectional, and outside of our coach, team and fans, no one picked us to beat Naperville North.”
All good points as Glenbard East, which is currently ranked 16th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 but is certain to zoom upward in the season-ending poll, continues to make school history since claiming the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division banner. However the latest achievement over Chicagoland Soccer no. 1 and nationally ranked Naperville North caught everyone’s attention. The 2-0 tally produced more than a few double-takes. It was the 20th shutout for Dana and the Rams, who have allowed 12 goals over 26 games.
“I believe getting everyone’s best shot caught up to them,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said of Naperville North. “We were loose and ready to play. As I told the team, we don’t have to be the best team in the state, we just need to be the better team for tonight. It’ll be the same story (this weekend), everyone left found a way to win.
“We might have had only two really good chances against North, but we finished them. If you can finish 100 percent of your best chances, you’ve got a shot,” Overbey added. “Defensively, we’ve been playing extremely well. We’ve played like we believe we can play.”
Offense has been a consistent strong suit for East thanks to three particular players: IHSSCA All-State senior Brittany Paganucci (signed by Illinois State), who had team-bests of 30 goals and 17 assists; junior Dana Plotke (14 goals, six assists) and sophomore Elizabeth Toledo (10 goals, 11 assists).
Adding senior leadership are Holly Ward (Benedictine), Taylor Ray (Carthage), Amanda Chlebek (Dubuque), and Sammie Sarles (Benedictine). Boosting the defense is Katie Hansen, an IHSSCA Honorable Mention All-Sectional selection as a sophomore.
New Trier (24-3-1)
When it comes to New Trier, ranked no. 6 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, an inventory list is required. The Trevians are now no. 1 when it comes to state finals appearances with 13. They will become no. 2 for trophies with their ninth collected this weekend and still rank no. 2 in first-place finishes with five.
The two-time defending Class 3A champions would love to become the only program other than St. Charles to win three titles in a row. Not only is New Trier unbeaten in its last 18 postseason matches, the Trevians haven’t been scored on since a 2013 sectional title 1-0 loss to Loyola.
Coach Jim Burnside boasts the most IHSSCA All-State honorees --- goalie Dani Kaufman (Bucknell), forward Kelly Maday (Illinois), and midfielder Bina Saipi (DePaul) --- plus All-Sectional senior midfielder Celia Frei.
“The three-peat or two-time champion aspect may have played a stronger role early in the year. At this point, every team is on some sort of win streak,” Burnside noted. “We’re fortunate to have some outstanding players, but top to bottom for 21 players, this is the greatest team -- with a capital “T” -- I’ve had the pleasure to coach.
“There are players who may have been in six or seven games, but they’ve made our practices so grueling, so competitive,” Burnside said. “I can’t give them enough credit for pushing their teammates to be good. Seriously I don’t think we’ve had this kind of equality in goals and assists from our biggest impact players.”
Maday, Gatorade's Illinois Player of the Year, has 16 goals and 17 assists. Saipi (15 goals, 12 assists), Haley Yamada (11, 9) and Frei (10, 5) follow. Lily Conley is second on the team with 11 assists.
Burnside obviously gives Kaufman her due in goal along with a five-player defensive core that has produced 23 shutouts while allowing a mere six goals. The defenders include senior Katie Sadera (Univeristy of Chicago signee), junior Sam Urban (Wisconsin), Caroline Iserloth, Megan Murdoch and Sydney Parker. The Trevians also boast future college players in senior Flower Eddington (Illinois Wesleyan) and juniors Avery Schuldt (Dartmouth) and Natalie Laser (USC).
Huntley (22-3-2)
While Huntley respects everything New Trier has done, the Red Raiders understandably have a “what do we have to lose” approach to their semifinal after they finally got past the school’s albatross, namely Barrington.
For three-straight years, Huntley exited the tournament a win shy of the Final Four. Sandwiched between defeats by Barrington in 2013 and 15 is a loss to St. Charles East. But for coach Kris Grabner, Barrington was the bigger bug-a-boo.
“Two of the last three supersectional losses were to them, but add in sectional semis or finals, and Barrington has been our road block in seven of the last eight years,” Grabner said. “After the (1-0) win I gathered the team together, and I actually couldn’t find the words to express how proud of them I was or how to describe their achievement.
“As for New Trier, no question they’re impressive. But at this point, if we were facing Collinsville or Glenbard East, the next game is guaranteed to be a battle. As for pressure, it’s hard to repeat as a conference champ let alone state champ. So getting a three-peat, I’d say there’s more pressure on them,” Grabner added.
Historically Huntley has fared well versus the Trevians. In three PepsiCo meetings, the Red Raiders own a 2-1 win from 2009 and a 1-1 draw in 2011, but fell 1-0 at New Trier in the 2014 edition.
Huntley has a special player in Taryn Jakubowski, who leads the team in points (71), goals (30) and game-winners (12). The Red Raiders are unbeaten in their last 10 matches (9-0-1) and the Creighton signee owns the game-winner for the last six-straight contests.
As Grabner said following Jakubowski’s goal in the sectional final where Huntley avenged a loss that gave Crystal Lake South the conference crown: “Either we find (Taryn}, or she finds the ball.” Or Jakubowski finds a teammate as indicated by her 11 assists.
Actually Huntley has seven players with four or more goals. Brianna Wilder has 10 followed by Ally Sunter at (six goals plus six assists) and Tayah Owens (six goals, three assists). Brenna Keagan has five goals (six assists). Analisa Sunter has four goals and an assist, and Illinois State signee Alyssa Kaufman has four goals and leads the team with 13 assists.
While Paige Renkosik has been an all-conference regular in basketball, it’s her work as Red Raiders goalie (15 shutouts) that earned her a scholarship to Limestone College (South Carolina). Teammates Erin Gaitsch and Victoria Padal will continue their soccer careers at Brian Cliff (Iowa) and Trinity International respectively.
Collinsville (21-1-2)
Riding a 15-game win streak, the Kahoks believe they have some unfinished business in Naperville.
In last year’s semifinal, Collinsville’s Andrea Frerker just missed a shot 20 seconds into the match, but Neuqua Valley then connected on two of its first three attempts. Making matters worse than the 3-1 loss, 2015 IHSSCA All-State pick and Tennessee-Martin recruit Sophia Sharos collided with Neuqua Valley’s goalie. Her right tibia and fibula were both broken and required surgery which was performed the next morning at Edwards Hospital in Naperville.
The Kahoks went on to lose the third-place game (2-1) to Barrington ending their season with a pair of losses and a 21-5-1 record.
Eighteen players from that roster are determined to have a different experience this June. Heading the line-up are current IHSSCA All-State honorees Andrea Frerker and fellow junior Emily Holten. The latter tops Collinsville’s attack with 23 goals and 14 assists, including the last tally in the 4-1 supersectional win.
Senior goalie Julie Scheiter and junior defender Dayle McEwen both gained All-Sectional honors and had critical roles in Collinsville’s nine shutouts.
The Kahok's fortunes got a boost when Tayler Devine, a junior forward who opted to focus on club soccer last season, returned to the team. She’s second on the squad with 17 goals but leads the squad with five game-winning goals. Courtney Marten has three postseason goals, one more than her regular season total.
Coach Clay Smith is in his sixth season directing the girls soccer team. He is among nine coaches to be recognized at the upcoming IHSSCA banquet for surpassing the 100 career-win milestone during the 2016 campaign.
By Steve Nemeth
Huntley and Glenbard East have guaranteed themselves their first IHSA state tournament trophies. Downstate Collinsville would love an upgrade from 2015’s fourth-place award. And New Trier? All the Trevians want is a three-peat.
Who earns what this season will start to be decided Friday at North Central College’s Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville. The finalists will be determined after New Trier faces Huntley in the 5 p.m. semifinal followed at 7 p.m. by Collinsville and Glenbard East.
Glenbard East (23-4-0)
The Rams' semifinal opponent Collinsville, which stands third in Chicagoland Soccer's Illinois 10 poll and is nationally ranked, is once again vying for Class 3A hardware. That, plus the fact that the downstate program is favored in the Friday game elicits a collective shrug from Glenbard East.
Or as Rams goalie and Brandeis signee Sierra Dana put it: “So what else is new?
“We weren’t favored to win the regional. We weren’t favored to beat Lyons in the sectional semi. We weren’t favored to beat Hinsdale Central on their field for the sectional, and outside of our coach, team and fans, no one picked us to beat Naperville North.”
All good points as Glenbard East, which is currently ranked 16th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 but is certain to zoom upward in the season-ending poll, continues to make school history since claiming the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division banner. However the latest achievement over Chicagoland Soccer no. 1 and nationally ranked Naperville North caught everyone’s attention. The 2-0 tally produced more than a few double-takes. It was the 20th shutout for Dana and the Rams, who have allowed 12 goals over 26 games.
“I believe getting everyone’s best shot caught up to them,” Glenbard East coach Kent Overbey said of Naperville North. “We were loose and ready to play. As I told the team, we don’t have to be the best team in the state, we just need to be the better team for tonight. It’ll be the same story (this weekend), everyone left found a way to win.
“We might have had only two really good chances against North, but we finished them. If you can finish 100 percent of your best chances, you’ve got a shot,” Overbey added. “Defensively, we’ve been playing extremely well. We’ve played like we believe we can play.”
Offense has been a consistent strong suit for East thanks to three particular players: IHSSCA All-State senior Brittany Paganucci (signed by Illinois State), who had team-bests of 30 goals and 17 assists; junior Dana Plotke (14 goals, six assists) and sophomore Elizabeth Toledo (10 goals, 11 assists).
Adding senior leadership are Holly Ward (Benedictine), Taylor Ray (Carthage), Amanda Chlebek (Dubuque), and Sammie Sarles (Benedictine). Boosting the defense is Katie Hansen, an IHSSCA Honorable Mention All-Sectional selection as a sophomore.
New Trier (24-3-1)
When it comes to New Trier, ranked no. 6 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, an inventory list is required. The Trevians are now no. 1 when it comes to state finals appearances with 13. They will become no. 2 for trophies with their ninth collected this weekend and still rank no. 2 in first-place finishes with five.
The two-time defending Class 3A champions would love to become the only program other than St. Charles to win three titles in a row. Not only is New Trier unbeaten in its last 18 postseason matches, the Trevians haven’t been scored on since a 2013 sectional title 1-0 loss to Loyola.
Coach Jim Burnside boasts the most IHSSCA All-State honorees --- goalie Dani Kaufman (Bucknell), forward Kelly Maday (Illinois), and midfielder Bina Saipi (DePaul) --- plus All-Sectional senior midfielder Celia Frei.
“The three-peat or two-time champion aspect may have played a stronger role early in the year. At this point, every team is on some sort of win streak,” Burnside noted. “We’re fortunate to have some outstanding players, but top to bottom for 21 players, this is the greatest team -- with a capital “T” -- I’ve had the pleasure to coach.
“There are players who may have been in six or seven games, but they’ve made our practices so grueling, so competitive,” Burnside said. “I can’t give them enough credit for pushing their teammates to be good. Seriously I don’t think we’ve had this kind of equality in goals and assists from our biggest impact players.”
Maday, Gatorade's Illinois Player of the Year, has 16 goals and 17 assists. Saipi (15 goals, 12 assists), Haley Yamada (11, 9) and Frei (10, 5) follow. Lily Conley is second on the team with 11 assists.
Burnside obviously gives Kaufman her due in goal along with a five-player defensive core that has produced 23 shutouts while allowing a mere six goals. The defenders include senior Katie Sadera (Univeristy of Chicago signee), junior Sam Urban (Wisconsin), Caroline Iserloth, Megan Murdoch and Sydney Parker. The Trevians also boast future college players in senior Flower Eddington (Illinois Wesleyan) and juniors Avery Schuldt (Dartmouth) and Natalie Laser (USC).
Huntley (22-3-2)
While Huntley respects everything New Trier has done, the Red Raiders understandably have a “what do we have to lose” approach to their semifinal after they finally got past the school’s albatross, namely Barrington.
For three-straight years, Huntley exited the tournament a win shy of the Final Four. Sandwiched between defeats by Barrington in 2013 and 15 is a loss to St. Charles East. But for coach Kris Grabner, Barrington was the bigger bug-a-boo.
“Two of the last three supersectional losses were to them, but add in sectional semis or finals, and Barrington has been our road block in seven of the last eight years,” Grabner said. “After the (1-0) win I gathered the team together, and I actually couldn’t find the words to express how proud of them I was or how to describe their achievement.
“As for New Trier, no question they’re impressive. But at this point, if we were facing Collinsville or Glenbard East, the next game is guaranteed to be a battle. As for pressure, it’s hard to repeat as a conference champ let alone state champ. So getting a three-peat, I’d say there’s more pressure on them,” Grabner added.
Historically Huntley has fared well versus the Trevians. In three PepsiCo meetings, the Red Raiders own a 2-1 win from 2009 and a 1-1 draw in 2011, but fell 1-0 at New Trier in the 2014 edition.
Huntley has a special player in Taryn Jakubowski, who leads the team in points (71), goals (30) and game-winners (12). The Red Raiders are unbeaten in their last 10 matches (9-0-1) and the Creighton signee owns the game-winner for the last six-straight contests.
As Grabner said following Jakubowski’s goal in the sectional final where Huntley avenged a loss that gave Crystal Lake South the conference crown: “Either we find (Taryn}, or she finds the ball.” Or Jakubowski finds a teammate as indicated by her 11 assists.
Actually Huntley has seven players with four or more goals. Brianna Wilder has 10 followed by Ally Sunter at (six goals plus six assists) and Tayah Owens (six goals, three assists). Brenna Keagan has five goals (six assists). Analisa Sunter has four goals and an assist, and Illinois State signee Alyssa Kaufman has four goals and leads the team with 13 assists.
While Paige Renkosik has been an all-conference regular in basketball, it’s her work as Red Raiders goalie (15 shutouts) that earned her a scholarship to Limestone College (South Carolina). Teammates Erin Gaitsch and Victoria Padal will continue their soccer careers at Brian Cliff (Iowa) and Trinity International respectively.
Collinsville (21-1-2)
Riding a 15-game win streak, the Kahoks believe they have some unfinished business in Naperville.
In last year’s semifinal, Collinsville’s Andrea Frerker just missed a shot 20 seconds into the match, but Neuqua Valley then connected on two of its first three attempts. Making matters worse than the 3-1 loss, 2015 IHSSCA All-State pick and Tennessee-Martin recruit Sophia Sharos collided with Neuqua Valley’s goalie. Her right tibia and fibula were both broken and required surgery which was performed the next morning at Edwards Hospital in Naperville.
The Kahoks went on to lose the third-place game (2-1) to Barrington ending their season with a pair of losses and a 21-5-1 record.
Eighteen players from that roster are determined to have a different experience this June. Heading the line-up are current IHSSCA All-State honorees Andrea Frerker and fellow junior Emily Holten. The latter tops Collinsville’s attack with 23 goals and 14 assists, including the last tally in the 4-1 supersectional win.
Senior goalie Julie Scheiter and junior defender Dayle McEwen both gained All-Sectional honors and had critical roles in Collinsville’s nine shutouts.
The Kahok's fortunes got a boost when Tayler Devine, a junior forward who opted to focus on club soccer last season, returned to the team. She’s second on the squad with 17 goals but leads the squad with five game-winning goals. Courtney Marten has three postseason goals, one more than her regular season total.
Coach Clay Smith is in his sixth season directing the girls soccer team. He is among nine coaches to be recognized at the upcoming IHSSCA banquet for surpassing the 100 career-win milestone during the 2016 campaign.
