Chicagoland Soccer Top 25
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The third Saturday of the season is going to be that one that upends everything.
Naperville Central defeated top-ranked rival Naperville North in the second game in eight days between the two. Naperville Central climbed from near the top of the honorable mention list to no. 5. The Redhawks are 6-1-0 since an 0-2-0 start, and they ended Naperville North’s 26-game unbeaten string.
Libertyville, the 2015 Class 3A state champion, now displaces Naperville North, the 2016 Class 3A state champion, at the top of the rankings. The Wildcats are rated nationally in the top 10 by Top Drawer Soccer.
In first round tournament games at PepsiCo Showdown at the McDonald’s Park in Oak Brook, the soccer world turned literally upside down. The biggest shocker was an absence. Morton’s Baltazar Duran has left the Mustangs’ program to play for the Chicago Fire Academy. The defending tournament champion Mustangs, the top-seed, struggled mightily in his absence, needing penalty kicks to survive Minooka following a scoreless regulation.
Another program new to the top 10, Streamwood ran its winning streak to five in upsetting Lyons 2-1 in first round play. In other words, the top draw is now anybody’s guess, though second seeded St. Charles North figures to have something to say about that.
And it was not just results Saturday at the cola tournament: host and then no. 8 Glenbrook North edged previous no. 5 New Trier. The Spartans lost a 2-1 heartbreaker against Maine South just a few days earlier. That is the way the whole year is likely to play out, with the best programs bunched at the top, A beats B, who loses to C, who beats A.
And we have not even reached the middle of September yet. Strap in for a wild ride.
Records through Sept. 9
By Patrick Z. McGavin
The third Saturday of the season is going to be that one that upends everything.
Naperville Central defeated top-ranked rival Naperville North in the second game in eight days between the two. Naperville Central climbed from near the top of the honorable mention list to no. 5. The Redhawks are 6-1-0 since an 0-2-0 start, and they ended Naperville North’s 26-game unbeaten string.
Libertyville, the 2015 Class 3A state champion, now displaces Naperville North, the 2016 Class 3A state champion, at the top of the rankings. The Wildcats are rated nationally in the top 10 by Top Drawer Soccer.
In first round tournament games at PepsiCo Showdown at the McDonald’s Park in Oak Brook, the soccer world turned literally upside down. The biggest shocker was an absence. Morton’s Baltazar Duran has left the Mustangs’ program to play for the Chicago Fire Academy. The defending tournament champion Mustangs, the top-seed, struggled mightily in his absence, needing penalty kicks to survive Minooka following a scoreless regulation.
Another program new to the top 10, Streamwood ran its winning streak to five in upsetting Lyons 2-1 in first round play. In other words, the top draw is now anybody’s guess, though second seeded St. Charles North figures to have something to say about that.
And it was not just results Saturday at the cola tournament: host and then no. 8 Glenbrook North edged previous no. 5 New Trier. The Spartans lost a 2-1 heartbreaker against Maine South just a few days earlier. That is the way the whole year is likely to play out, with the best programs bunched at the top, A beats B, who loses to C, who beats A.
And we have not even reached the middle of September yet. Strap in for a wild ride.
Records through Sept. 9
Rank | LW | School | W | L | T | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | Libertyville | 5 | 0 | 1 | More explosive than 2015 state champion |
2 | 2 | Bradley-B | 6 | 0 | 0 | L-W West nearly pulls upset |
3 | 4 | Morton | 7 | 0 | 1 | Hard task of replacing Baltazar Duran |
4 | 1 | Naperville N | 8 | 1 | 1 | Ty Konrad is top underclassman |
5 | HM | Naperville C | 6 | 3 | 0 | Rohan Barghava stuns Naperville North |
6 | 5 | New Trier | 7 | 2 | 0 | Riles Walsh is an elite defender |
7 | 6 | Waukegan | 6 | 1 | 1 | David Villanueva powers win over Taft |
8 | 19 | Maine South | 6 | 2 | 0 | Impressive road win over Glenbrook N |
9 | 8 | Glenbrook N | 5 | 2 | 1 | Ben Gordon is rapidly improving defender |
10 | HM | Streamwood | 7 | 2 | 0 | Aldo Lazaro, Sabres stun Lyons once again |
11 | 7 | Lyons | 4 | 3 | 1 | Charles Hall is strong playmaker |
12 | 9 | Evanston | 6 | 1 | 0 | Not tested since Waukegan |
13 | 11 | Barrington | 6 | 2 | 0 | Finding its groove again |
14 | 13 | Bremen | 7 | 1 | 2 | Impressive defense in Windy City title |
15 | 14 | Prairie Ridge | 7 | 0 | 0 | Unbeaten and unknown for now |
16 | 15 | Mount Carmel | 7 | 1 | 0 | Moises Sanchez is a top player |
17 | NR | West Aurora | 8 | 1 | 1 | Stuns Edwardsville for Morton (IIl.) title |
18 | 17 | Latin | 7 | 1 | 0 | Dominating its class |
19 | HM | Round Lake | 7 | 1 | 1 | Another team on the move |
20 | HM | SC North | 5 | 1 | 2 | Kyle Kolodziej is a shutdown defender |
21 | HM | Loyola | 6 | 1 | 0 | Andrew Hoepfner s creative playmaker |
22 | HM | Carmel | 4 | 1 | 0 | Defender Brett Cloe sparks Marist shutout |
23 | 22 | St. Ignatius | 6 | 1 | 2 | Keith Bevans is offensive influence |
24 | HM | Geneva | 5 | 1 | 1 | Josh Hartsock is savvy defender |
25 | HM | Wheaton A | 6 | 2 | 0 | Grayson Harris offensive talent to watch |
Look out for: Lane, Waubonsie Valley, Glenbrook South, Hinsdale Central, Elgin, St. Edward, Woodstock, Taft, Palatine, Solorio, Wheeling, Argo, Leyden, University (Chicago), Lake Park