Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 state ranking
By Patrick Z. McGavin
“We beat them once, but we did not take that for granted,” Barrington star midfielder Sophia Spinell said after the Fillies’ exhilarating penalty shootout victory over New Trier in the Class 3A state title game Saturday night in Naperville.
“In the end I think we wanted it more.”
The game underlined the clearest expression of the sport, that just because there is an absence of scoring, there can still be a preponderance of great action, riveting moments and beautiful soccer.
As New Trier coach Jim Burnside eloquently put it, these were young women on the cusp of adulthood but still young people finding their way in the world who played their absolute hearts out.
Barrington’s state championship is a game of our time and puts the Fillies in rarified territory, among the great teams in recent history -- the Burnside-coached New Trier teams that won three-consecutive titles and were inches from a fourth; and the Naperville North team that won consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013.
Barrington is the top, but there are many other teams of high quality -- New Trier, Naperville North, Collinsville, Class AA state champion Triad and Class A winner Notre Dame (Quincy).
Out of necessity and access, the Chicagoland Soccer regular season polls have separated the Chicago area teams who are readily available to watch, observe and evaluate from the programs outside the area that we have limited access to and less institutional knowledge of.
For the purpose of creating a final state ranking, we present the Final 50 poll as an effort to put the statewide season into perspective.
Schools previously covered exclusively in the Illinois 10 poll are included in the Final 50.
In the new poll, the state tournament carries more weight than regular season games, but context is still important. Downers Grove North defeated Naperville North in the supersectional, but the impressive body of Naperville North’s achievements was simply too great to dismiss over one game decided by penalty kicks.
To understand the coding, the 50 teams are ranked in order. The numbers refer to the Final 50 ranking (Rk), the final regular season rank (RS) and the preseason rank (Pr).
NR means the team was not ranked in that poll. HM, which only applies to Chicago area schools, means that the team was among the 15 squads listed in the honorable mention section of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
For the teams that were ranked in the Illinois 10 poll, the letter I will accompany their final regular season and preseason ranks.
All season, four teams have displayed that they stand above the others in the Chicagoland area: Barrington, New Trier, Naperville North and St. Charles North. This quartet occupies the top four slots.
With word that Barrington is set to be named the no. 1 team in the country in at least one national poll, Illinois soccer is set to take its rightful place -- at the top.
Another great season has ended with a bang.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
“We beat them once, but we did not take that for granted,” Barrington star midfielder Sophia Spinell said after the Fillies’ exhilarating penalty shootout victory over New Trier in the Class 3A state title game Saturday night in Naperville.
“In the end I think we wanted it more.”
The game underlined the clearest expression of the sport, that just because there is an absence of scoring, there can still be a preponderance of great action, riveting moments and beautiful soccer.
As New Trier coach Jim Burnside eloquently put it, these were young women on the cusp of adulthood but still young people finding their way in the world who played their absolute hearts out.
Barrington’s state championship is a game of our time and puts the Fillies in rarified territory, among the great teams in recent history -- the Burnside-coached New Trier teams that won three-consecutive titles and were inches from a fourth; and the Naperville North team that won consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013.
Barrington is the top, but there are many other teams of high quality -- New Trier, Naperville North, Collinsville, Class AA state champion Triad and Class A winner Notre Dame (Quincy).
Out of necessity and access, the Chicagoland Soccer regular season polls have separated the Chicago area teams who are readily available to watch, observe and evaluate from the programs outside the area that we have limited access to and less institutional knowledge of.
For the purpose of creating a final state ranking, we present the Final 50 poll as an effort to put the statewide season into perspective.
Schools previously covered exclusively in the Illinois 10 poll are included in the Final 50.
In the new poll, the state tournament carries more weight than regular season games, but context is still important. Downers Grove North defeated Naperville North in the supersectional, but the impressive body of Naperville North’s achievements was simply too great to dismiss over one game decided by penalty kicks.
To understand the coding, the 50 teams are ranked in order. The numbers refer to the Final 50 ranking (Rk), the final regular season rank (RS) and the preseason rank (Pr).
NR means the team was not ranked in that poll. HM, which only applies to Chicago area schools, means that the team was among the 15 squads listed in the honorable mention section of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
For the teams that were ranked in the Illinois 10 poll, the letter I will accompany their final regular season and preseason ranks.
All season, four teams have displayed that they stand above the others in the Chicagoland area: Barrington, New Trier, Naperville North and St. Charles North. This quartet occupies the top four slots.
With word that Barrington is set to be named the no. 1 team in the country in at least one national poll, Illinois soccer is set to take its rightful place -- at the top.
Another great season has ended with a bang.
Rk | RS | Pr | Team | W | L | T | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 2 | Barrington | 28 | 1 | 0 | Fillies take 1st state title, end NT's reign | |
2 | 4 | 3 | New Trier | 24 | 3 | 1 | Trevians seek 5th-straight title game in ‘18 | |
3 | 3 | 1 | Naperville N | 20 | 3 | 3 | State’s most talented team beat top pair | |
4 | 2 | 5 | SC North | 19 | 1 | 3 | Dreams dashed supersectional in loss to NT | |
5 | I7 | I1 | Collinsville | 20 | 6 | 1 | Kahoks finished 3rd, 2nd and 4th last 3 years | |
6 | 19 | NR | DG North | 20 | 4 | 2 | Trojans earn 1st state trophy for new coach Papa | |
7 | 6 | 18 | Warren | 21 | 2 | 2 | Alliyah Parker leads club to school win record | |
8 | 5 | 22 | Geneva | 21 | 2 | 1 | Vikings lost only to New Trier and SCN | |
9 | I1 | INR | Normal | 22 | 3 | 0 | Dueled C'ville in memorable sectional final | |
10 | 10 | 20 | Metea V | 16 | 4 | 4 | Fourth-straight sectional title berth | |
11 | 8 | 4 | Neuqua V | 12 | 4 | 4 | Won state’s toughest conference -- the DVC | |
12 | 13 | 8 | Loyola | 18 | 7 | 0 | Elite sophomore Maggie Brett had 23 goals | |
13 | 7 | 12 | Fremd | 15 | 5 | 1 | Keeper Kelsie Stone is all-time great | |
14 | INR | I4 | Triad | 22 | 6 | 0 | Valiant Knights win second state title | |
15 | NR | 25 | Wheaton A | 21 | 6 | 0 | Warriors show mettle, skill, character | |
16 | I3 | I2 | Edwardsville | 13 | 4 | 2 | Beat Triad and Collinsville | |
17 | 17 | NR | Lake Zurich | 18 | 6 | 0 | Rebecca Kubin sets school mark -- 30 goals | |
18 | 14 | HM | Lyons | 16 | 5 | 1 | Lost in PKs to WSC rival DGN in sectional final | |
19 | HM | NR | Burlington C | 25 | 3 | 2 | Underrated no more, emerging Ill. program | |
20 | 9 | HM | Lake Forest | 11 | 5 | 1 | State’s best freshman class something to see | |
21 | 25 | NR | Lemont | 20 | 3 | 4 | 9 starters return from AA fourth place team | |
22 | I4 | INR | ND (Quincy) | 26 | 1 | 1 | McKenzie Foley leads Irish to Class A title | |
23 | I2 | INR | ND (Peoria) | 18 | 3 | 4 | Peoria’s top team reached Elite 8 in AA | |
24 | NR | NR | LW West | 17 | 7 | 7 | Upset supersectional entrant a team to watch | |
25 | 15 | HM | Batavia | 14 | 4 | 2 | Bulldogs a model of consistency and effort | |
26 | HM | 6 | SCE | 10 | 5 | 6 | Injuries derailed Saints’ tournney run | |
27 | 21 | 10 | Glenbrook S | 19 | 5 | 0 | Solid and deep program proved worth again | |
28 | HM | 7 | Evanston | 13 | 6 | 3 | Brutal schedule ended in sectional semi | |
29 | 12 | HM | Lane | 16 | 3 | 3 | 10 returning starters from city title team | |
30 | 16 | NR | Maine South | 13 | 5 | 1 | Emma Thomson has case for Ill.’s top player | |
31 | HM | NR | West Aurora | 18 | 4 | 2 | Blackhawks win first regional in school history | |
32 | NR | NR | Hinsdale S | 16 | 5 | 3 | Hornets buzz to supersectional run | |
33 | HM | NR | Pr Ridge | 16 | 4 | 0 | Great Wolves’ comeback yields sectional title | |
34 | 18 | NR | Wauconda | 18 | 1 | 1 | Bulldogs program on cusp of greatness | |
35 | HM | HM | Latin | 17 | 3 | 1 | Romans make 3rd-straight supersectional | |
36 | HM | HM | Libertyville | 10 | 6 | 1 | Freshman Kendall Edwards is elite keeper | |
37 | 23 | 15 | Naperville C | 11 | 8 | 4 | RedHawks played state’s toughest schedule | |
38 | 12 | NR | Nazareth | 20 | 3 | 1 | Roadrunners have significant young talent | |
39 | 20 | NR | CL South | 19 | 2 | 1 | Gators have a year to remember | |
40 | 22 | 11 | LW East | 15 | 4 | 1 | Griffins are quietly commanding and skilled | |
41 | 24 | 23 | Sycamore | 17 | 2 | 4 | Spartans prove last year no fluke | |
42 | NR | 24 | St Francis | 11 | 6 | 3 | Locked and loaded for next year | |
43 | HM | HM | Palatine | 10 | 8 | 3 | Played Barrington as well as any team | |
44 | NR | NR | Columbia | 18 | 3 | 3 | Gave ND (Quincy) toughest state tourney game | |
45 | I5 | I10 | SH-Griffin | 18 | 5 | 1 | Lost supersectional heartbreaker 1-0 to Triad | |
46 | I6 | INR | Granite City | 15 | 5 | 0 | Beat Class AA champ Triad in regular season | |
47 | I9 | INR | Glenwood | 17 | 3 | 1 | Took AA titlist Triad to the brink in sectional semi | |
48 | I8 | INR | Belleville W | 15 | 4 | 2 | Gave Triad last loss of season, regional finalist | |
49 | HM | 2 | Glenbard E | 13 | 6 | 4 | Faith Davies headlines strong Class of 18 | |
50 | NR | NR | Hononegah | 13 | 10 | 0 | Got hot late to make Elite 8 | |