Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Now it gets serious.
The marquee game of the week if not the year -- top-ranked Naperville North’s victory over now no. 4 New Trier marked the conclusion of another wild and important week of soccer.
By and large, spring break is over and teams are gearing up for the heart of their schedules. As more and more games play out, it is now possible to get a far more accurate fix on the players and teams worth tracking.
With three of the four top-ranked teams in this poll, the North Shore Invitational certainly lived up to the hype. The level of play was high, the depth of feeling significant, and the drama and excitement palpable.
With Naperville North victory over New Trier and Barrington's knock out of Loyola in the other pool, the no. 1 and no. 2 showdown that was canceled at the start of the year may come to pass. Should that happen, the soccer gods will certainly have delivered.
The PepsiCo Showdown moves into its quarterfinal and semifinal rounds later this week. St. Charles North, up to no. 3, is the top-seed in the top bracket. Warren, a team that looks more impressive with each game, is the No. 2 seed. The Blue Devils have a 34-4 goal differential in their first seven games. Interestingly, 27 of those goals have come in the second half. The team has scored six goals on three different occasions after halftime.
“I think we like to have the crowd into the game and biting their nails,” senior Warren defender Rebecca Pineau said.
By Patrick Z. McGavin
Now it gets serious.
The marquee game of the week if not the year -- top-ranked Naperville North’s victory over now no. 4 New Trier marked the conclusion of another wild and important week of soccer.
By and large, spring break is over and teams are gearing up for the heart of their schedules. As more and more games play out, it is now possible to get a far more accurate fix on the players and teams worth tracking.
With three of the four top-ranked teams in this poll, the North Shore Invitational certainly lived up to the hype. The level of play was high, the depth of feeling significant, and the drama and excitement palpable.
With Naperville North victory over New Trier and Barrington's knock out of Loyola in the other pool, the no. 1 and no. 2 showdown that was canceled at the start of the year may come to pass. Should that happen, the soccer gods will certainly have delivered.
The PepsiCo Showdown moves into its quarterfinal and semifinal rounds later this week. St. Charles North, up to no. 3, is the top-seed in the top bracket. Warren, a team that looks more impressive with each game, is the No. 2 seed. The Blue Devils have a 34-4 goal differential in their first seven games. Interestingly, 27 of those goals have come in the second half. The team has scored six goals on three different occasions after halftime.
“I think we like to have the crowd into the game and biting their nails,” senior Warren defender Rebecca Pineau said.
Rank | LW | School | W | L | T | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Naperville North | 6 | 0 | 0 | Chloe Kotrba sparks New Trier win |
2 | 2 | Barrington | 5 | 0 | 0 | Sydney Bowling another offensive weapon |
3 | 5 | St. Charles North | 4 | 0 | 1 | Alyssa Kraft is talented freshman |
4 | 3 | New Trier | 7 | 1 | 0 | Avery Schuldt is top-notch talent |
5 | 10 | Geneva | 8 | 0 | 0 | Lauren Albrecht helps offense hum |
6 | 7 | Warren | 7 | 0 | 0 | Rebecca Pineau is dynamic 2-way talent |
7 | 8 | Fremd | 4 | 0 | 1 | Marissa Wade is bright young talent |
8 | 14 | Batavia | 8 | 0 | 0 | Avery Davis helps upend Glenbard E |
9 | 12 | Glenbrook South | 7 | 0 | 0 | Callie Pekosh leads Titans past Hinsdale C |
10 | 15 | Evanston | 7 | 0 | 1 | Survived L-W East in PK shootout |
11 | 19 | Neuqua Valley | 2 | 2 | 2 | Schylar Kingsley earns win over Metea |
12 | 11 | Metea Valley | 4 | 2 | 2 | Maeve Riordan part of talented attack |
13 | 13 | Lincoln-Way E | 7 | 2 | 1 | Griffins rout Sandburg 5-1 |
14 | HM | Lyons | 4 | 1 | 1 | Sarah Purcell next standout keeper |
15 | NR | Nazareth | 7 | 2 | 0 | Claire Ramsey powers win over Benet |
16 | 4 | Glenbard East | 5 | 2 | 1 | Rams end week with 0-2-1 record |
17 | 9 | Sandburg | 4 | 1 | 0 | Trying to regroup |
18 | 18 | Plainfield North | 6 | 2 | 0 | Into a quarterfinal at PepsiCo |
19 | 6 | St. Charles East | 4 | 1 | 3 | Looking to regain some magic |
20 | 23 | Jones | 7 | 0 | 1 | Devin Barry is big-time keeper |
21 | 25 | Lane | 4 | 1 | 3 | Izzy Ogonovich is standout |
22 | 17 | Andrew | 8 | 1 | 0 | Bridget Melody is bright talent |
23 | NR | Lake Forest | 2 | 1 | 0 | Scouts’ seven freshmen coming of age |
24 | NR | Stevenson | 1 | 0 | 1 | Jillian Steinbrink leads win over St. Francis |
25 | 24 | WW South | 3 | 2 | 0 | Julia Cox is emerging talent |
Look out for: St. Francis, Hinsdale South, Conant, Benet, Sycamore, Downers Grove North, Wheaton Academy, Naperville Central, Minooka, Glenbard West, Latin, Glenbrook North, Prospect, Wauconda, Bartlett