Class 3A state tournament finals preview
By Curt Herron
Barrington
Few programs can capture state trophies in five-straight tournaments or even place in the top four seven times in nine seasons while winning two titles and placing second another time. Barrington has done just that and looks to add to its impressive resume this weekend at the IHSA Class 3A finals at North Central College in Naperville.
Coach Ryan Stengren's 22-2-0 Fillies have compiled a 111-11-5 record over the past five seasons, winning titles in 2017 and 2018, taking second in 2019 and then finishing fourth last season. They meet 21-2-1 Evanston in Friday's 5 p.m. semifinals.
Barrington assured itself of its ninth state trophy since 2000 and seventh since 2013 when it beat St. Charles East 3-0 in its own supersectional earlier this week. That followed a 7-0 victory over Dundee-Crown in the Round Lake Sectional during a run of five playoff matches where it outscored its opponents by a 25-0 margin.
The only two losses that the Fillies have suffered came against Naperville North, which won 2-0 on March 14 and 2-1 on April 30 in the Naperville Invitational championship match. Throughout the rest of the campaign, the squad has allowed just three goals. Neuqua Valley, Elk Grove and Prospect each got one and the other 19 opponents got none. Eleven of the clean-sheets came in succession between April 6- 29.
Barrington captured the Mid-Suburban League West Division title and league championship, and was ranked fourth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll. During the Fillies current eight-match win streak, they have outscored opponents by a 40-1 margin.
Stengren is 285-50-22 in his 14 years with the program and has won 17 or more matches in each season other than his debut in 2008. He is assisted by Brian Allen, Caleb Copeland, Roberto Avendano, Scott Steib and Kevin Barcal.
Leading scorers for the Fillies are freshman forward Piper Lucier (18 goals, 11 assists), junior midfielder Brooke Brown (16 goals, 17 assists), junior forward Kate Lubinsky (13 goals, 11 assists), sophomore midfielder Kaitlin Taylor (11 goals, 4 assists), senior forward Riley Raynor (8 goals) and sophomore forward Sarah Sarnowski (8 goals, 10 assists).
Junior goalie Avery Trapp has allowed six goals while junior Abby Raynor has given up one.
Twelve players are back from last year's state team. Senior midfielder Nicole Gwiasda and Raynor are both captains who also played on the 2019 runnerup team.
The Fillies' other captain is senior defender Gracie Stagnito, who was a member of Barrington's basketball team which placed second in Class 4A earlier this year.
Players who received all-MSL recognition were senior forward Kathleen Baker, junior defender Ellie Sanchez, Brown, Gwiasda, Lubinsky, Lucier, Raynor and Stagnito
"We just need to have a good mindset and play the Filly brand of soccer," Stengren said.
Evanston
It's been 20 years since Evanston captured a big-school title in the two-class system in its only trip to the state finals prior to this season. Coach Marx Succes' 2002 squad capped a 28-0-1 season with a 2-0 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South.
In their return to the state finals, the Wildkits hope they can make another run for a championship in a field that only features one other program that has won a title, Barrington. The two will meet in the first semifinal.
Evanston is 21-2-1 and owns an eight-match winning streak. It’s won 16 of its last 17 matches after beating New Trier 2-1 and Loyola 5-1 in the New Trier Sectional. The Wildkits earned their spot in the Final Four with a 2-0 win over Libertyville in two overtimes in the New Trier Supersectional. The team has outscored opponents by a 32-4 margin during its current eight-match win streak.
The only defeat during its recent run of success was a 2-0 loss to St. Teresa (Missouri) on April 30. Other than that, the Wildkits' lone loss to an Illinois team came against Naperville North which was two matches after they played to a 3-3 draw against Young in early April.
Coach Stacy Salgado has an 80-25-12 in five seasons leading the program. Assistant coaches for the Wildkits are Franz Calixte, Ryan Berkley and Harold Bailey.
Leading scorers for Evanston are sophomore forward Jocelyn Leigh (26 goals, 8 assists), senior forward Brealyn Viamille (18 goals, 7 assists), junior midfielder Andriana Merriam (9 goals, 2 assists), senior midfielder Nahla Dominguez (8 goals, 2 assists) and sophomore midfielder Sydney Ross (5 goals, 7 assists).
Junior goalie Ariel Kite has an 0.67 GAA in 24 matches and has recorded 13 shutouts and allowed just one goal in six other matches.
Wilkits captains are senior defenders Carly Menocal and Sarah Sollinger as well as classmates Dominguez and Viamille.
Players earning all-Central Suburban League South Division honors were senior defenders Menocal and Ellie Oif as well as Kite, Leigh, Ross and Sollinger.
The Wildkits, who were ranked fifth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, closed out regular-season play with a 3-1 win in the CSL championship match over Deerfield, which will play for third place in Class AA on Saturday.
"We are excited to make the trip to state," Salgado said. "Overall, such a fun experience that I am thrilled the girls get to be a part of. They have put in the work to get here and are ready and confident."
Metea Valley
When a team is unbeaten against Illinois teams it should head into the last weekend of the season feeling a lot of confidence, even if their program has never made an appearance before in the IHSA finals.
After winning the title of the DuPage Valley Conference and prevailing as the winner of the Naperville Central Sectional, Metea Valley has every reason to be upbeat about its chances against a strong Class 3A field at North Central College where every team had two losses or less.
The Mustangs bring a 20-2-1 record into Friday's 7 p.m. semifinal against Lincoln-Way Central (24-1-0), a program that is making its first finals appearance since 2007. This year’s team has allowed only five goals all season and posted 21 shutouts.
Metea Valley's only losses came against Missouri schools Lafayette (Wildwood) and Nerinx Hall (Webster Grove), plus a 2-2 draw with Plainfield North.
Coach Chris Whaley's squad has won 12-straight matches and outscored its opponents by a 36-10 margin. Five of the wins were shutouts, four of which came during the postseason.
The Msutangs beat Naperville North 1-0 in the Naperville Central Sectional finals and then won 2-0 over Edwardsville in Normal West Supersectional.
Metea Valley, which was ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 at the end of the regular-season, has posted 10 shutouts and also prevailed in eight matches that were decided by one goal.
Whaley, who claimed his 100th-career victory in the supersectional, has a 100-48-18 record in seven seasons with the Mustangs. He is assisted by Rachel Bostick and Josh Robinson.
Top scorers for Metea Valley are junior forward Tyra King (19 goals, 3 assists), junior midfielder Jordan Lange (17 goals, 8 assists), sophomore forward Lucy Burk (7 goals, 15 assists), senior forward Jocelyn Grabow (7 goals, 2 assists), senior midfielder Leanne Barrett (6 goals, 8 assists) and senior defender Addison Wargo (2 goals, 8 assists).
Mustangs goalies are senior Julia Straub (16 matches, 0.88 GAA) and sophomore Alyssa Gluting (7 matches, 1.14 GAA).
Earning all-DVC honors were senior defender Justyce King, junior defender Kaylee Bannack, Tyra King, Burk and Lange.
Tyra King won the Silver Boot for scoring the second-most goals. Straub won the Gold Glove for having the lowest goals against average and senior midfielder Abbey Ondrus received the all-sportsmanship award for her team.
"I'm really proud of this team and what they have accomplished this year," Whaley said. "They were underestimated from the beginning of the season and have shown a lot of pride and put in a lot of effort to get to this point.
"I believe we had to win the toughest conference and advance through the toughest sectional to get here, and we are a better team because of it. We are truly enjoying every moment and yet still working hard to be prepared for the next game."
Lincoln-Way Central
It's been a long wait for a program that went to state six times and won five trophies between 1998 and 2007, but Lincoln-Way Central is back in the IHSA finals for the first time in 15 years and defense has played a big role in that.
The 24-1-0 Knights have only allowed five goals this season and have recorded 21 shutouts. They have won 14 straight since suffering their lone loss to Warren on April 9 after opening the season with 10-straight victories
Lincoln-Way Central has outscored its opponents 54-2 during the current win streak with Andrew scoring a goal in the Sandburg Sectional and Glenbard West scoring once in the Sandburg Supersectional. That earned them a spot in today's 7 p.m. semifinal against Metea Valley.
Throughout their special season, the Knights have claimed nine one-goal victories and captured 13 wins by three or more goals. They hope to reach the championship match, something that the program last did in 1999 and 2000 when it claimed second place finishes each time.
Coach Sean Fahey is 57-9-2 in his third season with the Knights. He played for IHSSCA Hall of Famer Brian Papa's Knights when there was still a single Lincoln-Way school. He also coached the school's boys program for nine seasons. He is assisted by Jack Young, Breanna Bembenek and Ryne Foster.
Top scorers for the Knights are junior defender Christine Erdman (19 goals, 13 assists), freshman forward Madi Watt (17 goals, 12 assists), senior midfielder Jenni Andjelic (15 goals, 8 assists), junior midfielder Madisyn Kenworthy (7 goals, 2 assists), sophomore midfielder Emma Vogler (6 goals, 2 assists) and senior defender Grace Grundhofer (5 goals, 22 assists).
Junior goalie Alexa Hadley has played in all 25 matches and has a 0.20 GAA with 21 shutouts.
The Knights, who were ranked 21st in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, beat Sandburg 2-0 to win the Class 3A Sandburg Sectional title. Then they won 2-1 over Glenbard West in the supersectional on the same field in Orland Park.
"It's wild," Fahey said. "I don't think any of these girls have any ideas of what they've really already just done, and that we're still going. Anything can happen, and I'll take this team against anybody, because we defend so well.
"We have our backline, our goalie and our next level, but it's all 11. We defend with 11, and we try to attack with 11. We found some comfort in a decent system that obviously has resulted in some success."
By Curt Herron
Barrington
Few programs can capture state trophies in five-straight tournaments or even place in the top four seven times in nine seasons while winning two titles and placing second another time. Barrington has done just that and looks to add to its impressive resume this weekend at the IHSA Class 3A finals at North Central College in Naperville.
Coach Ryan Stengren's 22-2-0 Fillies have compiled a 111-11-5 record over the past five seasons, winning titles in 2017 and 2018, taking second in 2019 and then finishing fourth last season. They meet 21-2-1 Evanston in Friday's 5 p.m. semifinals.
Barrington assured itself of its ninth state trophy since 2000 and seventh since 2013 when it beat St. Charles East 3-0 in its own supersectional earlier this week. That followed a 7-0 victory over Dundee-Crown in the Round Lake Sectional during a run of five playoff matches where it outscored its opponents by a 25-0 margin.
The only two losses that the Fillies have suffered came against Naperville North, which won 2-0 on March 14 and 2-1 on April 30 in the Naperville Invitational championship match. Throughout the rest of the campaign, the squad has allowed just three goals. Neuqua Valley, Elk Grove and Prospect each got one and the other 19 opponents got none. Eleven of the clean-sheets came in succession between April 6- 29.
Barrington captured the Mid-Suburban League West Division title and league championship, and was ranked fourth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 poll. During the Fillies current eight-match win streak, they have outscored opponents by a 40-1 margin.
Stengren is 285-50-22 in his 14 years with the program and has won 17 or more matches in each season other than his debut in 2008. He is assisted by Brian Allen, Caleb Copeland, Roberto Avendano, Scott Steib and Kevin Barcal.
Leading scorers for the Fillies are freshman forward Piper Lucier (18 goals, 11 assists), junior midfielder Brooke Brown (16 goals, 17 assists), junior forward Kate Lubinsky (13 goals, 11 assists), sophomore midfielder Kaitlin Taylor (11 goals, 4 assists), senior forward Riley Raynor (8 goals) and sophomore forward Sarah Sarnowski (8 goals, 10 assists).
Junior goalie Avery Trapp has allowed six goals while junior Abby Raynor has given up one.
Twelve players are back from last year's state team. Senior midfielder Nicole Gwiasda and Raynor are both captains who also played on the 2019 runnerup team.
The Fillies' other captain is senior defender Gracie Stagnito, who was a member of Barrington's basketball team which placed second in Class 4A earlier this year.
Players who received all-MSL recognition were senior forward Kathleen Baker, junior defender Ellie Sanchez, Brown, Gwiasda, Lubinsky, Lucier, Raynor and Stagnito
"We just need to have a good mindset and play the Filly brand of soccer," Stengren said.
Evanston
It's been 20 years since Evanston captured a big-school title in the two-class system in its only trip to the state finals prior to this season. Coach Marx Succes' 2002 squad capped a 28-0-1 season with a 2-0 victory over Wheaton Warrenville South.
In their return to the state finals, the Wildkits hope they can make another run for a championship in a field that only features one other program that has won a title, Barrington. The two will meet in the first semifinal.
Evanston is 21-2-1 and owns an eight-match winning streak. It’s won 16 of its last 17 matches after beating New Trier 2-1 and Loyola 5-1 in the New Trier Sectional. The Wildkits earned their spot in the Final Four with a 2-0 win over Libertyville in two overtimes in the New Trier Supersectional. The team has outscored opponents by a 32-4 margin during its current eight-match win streak.
The only defeat during its recent run of success was a 2-0 loss to St. Teresa (Missouri) on April 30. Other than that, the Wildkits' lone loss to an Illinois team came against Naperville North which was two matches after they played to a 3-3 draw against Young in early April.
Coach Stacy Salgado has an 80-25-12 in five seasons leading the program. Assistant coaches for the Wildkits are Franz Calixte, Ryan Berkley and Harold Bailey.
Leading scorers for Evanston are sophomore forward Jocelyn Leigh (26 goals, 8 assists), senior forward Brealyn Viamille (18 goals, 7 assists), junior midfielder Andriana Merriam (9 goals, 2 assists), senior midfielder Nahla Dominguez (8 goals, 2 assists) and sophomore midfielder Sydney Ross (5 goals, 7 assists).
Junior goalie Ariel Kite has an 0.67 GAA in 24 matches and has recorded 13 shutouts and allowed just one goal in six other matches.
Wilkits captains are senior defenders Carly Menocal and Sarah Sollinger as well as classmates Dominguez and Viamille.
Players earning all-Central Suburban League South Division honors were senior defenders Menocal and Ellie Oif as well as Kite, Leigh, Ross and Sollinger.
The Wildkits, who were ranked fifth in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, closed out regular-season play with a 3-1 win in the CSL championship match over Deerfield, which will play for third place in Class AA on Saturday.
"We are excited to make the trip to state," Salgado said. "Overall, such a fun experience that I am thrilled the girls get to be a part of. They have put in the work to get here and are ready and confident."
Metea Valley
When a team is unbeaten against Illinois teams it should head into the last weekend of the season feeling a lot of confidence, even if their program has never made an appearance before in the IHSA finals.
After winning the title of the DuPage Valley Conference and prevailing as the winner of the Naperville Central Sectional, Metea Valley has every reason to be upbeat about its chances against a strong Class 3A field at North Central College where every team had two losses or less.
The Mustangs bring a 20-2-1 record into Friday's 7 p.m. semifinal against Lincoln-Way Central (24-1-0), a program that is making its first finals appearance since 2007. This year’s team has allowed only five goals all season and posted 21 shutouts.
Metea Valley's only losses came against Missouri schools Lafayette (Wildwood) and Nerinx Hall (Webster Grove), plus a 2-2 draw with Plainfield North.
Coach Chris Whaley's squad has won 12-straight matches and outscored its opponents by a 36-10 margin. Five of the wins were shutouts, four of which came during the postseason.
The Msutangs beat Naperville North 1-0 in the Naperville Central Sectional finals and then won 2-0 over Edwardsville in Normal West Supersectional.
Metea Valley, which was ranked second in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 at the end of the regular-season, has posted 10 shutouts and also prevailed in eight matches that were decided by one goal.
Whaley, who claimed his 100th-career victory in the supersectional, has a 100-48-18 record in seven seasons with the Mustangs. He is assisted by Rachel Bostick and Josh Robinson.
Top scorers for Metea Valley are junior forward Tyra King (19 goals, 3 assists), junior midfielder Jordan Lange (17 goals, 8 assists), sophomore forward Lucy Burk (7 goals, 15 assists), senior forward Jocelyn Grabow (7 goals, 2 assists), senior midfielder Leanne Barrett (6 goals, 8 assists) and senior defender Addison Wargo (2 goals, 8 assists).
Mustangs goalies are senior Julia Straub (16 matches, 0.88 GAA) and sophomore Alyssa Gluting (7 matches, 1.14 GAA).
Earning all-DVC honors were senior defender Justyce King, junior defender Kaylee Bannack, Tyra King, Burk and Lange.
Tyra King won the Silver Boot for scoring the second-most goals. Straub won the Gold Glove for having the lowest goals against average and senior midfielder Abbey Ondrus received the all-sportsmanship award for her team.
"I'm really proud of this team and what they have accomplished this year," Whaley said. "They were underestimated from the beginning of the season and have shown a lot of pride and put in a lot of effort to get to this point.
"I believe we had to win the toughest conference and advance through the toughest sectional to get here, and we are a better team because of it. We are truly enjoying every moment and yet still working hard to be prepared for the next game."
Lincoln-Way Central
It's been a long wait for a program that went to state six times and won five trophies between 1998 and 2007, but Lincoln-Way Central is back in the IHSA finals for the first time in 15 years and defense has played a big role in that.
The 24-1-0 Knights have only allowed five goals this season and have recorded 21 shutouts. They have won 14 straight since suffering their lone loss to Warren on April 9 after opening the season with 10-straight victories
Lincoln-Way Central has outscored its opponents 54-2 during the current win streak with Andrew scoring a goal in the Sandburg Sectional and Glenbard West scoring once in the Sandburg Supersectional. That earned them a spot in today's 7 p.m. semifinal against Metea Valley.
Throughout their special season, the Knights have claimed nine one-goal victories and captured 13 wins by three or more goals. They hope to reach the championship match, something that the program last did in 1999 and 2000 when it claimed second place finishes each time.
Coach Sean Fahey is 57-9-2 in his third season with the Knights. He played for IHSSCA Hall of Famer Brian Papa's Knights when there was still a single Lincoln-Way school. He also coached the school's boys program for nine seasons. He is assisted by Jack Young, Breanna Bembenek and Ryne Foster.
Top scorers for the Knights are junior defender Christine Erdman (19 goals, 13 assists), freshman forward Madi Watt (17 goals, 12 assists), senior midfielder Jenni Andjelic (15 goals, 8 assists), junior midfielder Madisyn Kenworthy (7 goals, 2 assists), sophomore midfielder Emma Vogler (6 goals, 2 assists) and senior defender Grace Grundhofer (5 goals, 22 assists).
Junior goalie Alexa Hadley has played in all 25 matches and has a 0.20 GAA with 21 shutouts.
The Knights, who were ranked 21st in the final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, beat Sandburg 2-0 to win the Class 3A Sandburg Sectional title. Then they won 2-1 over Glenbard West in the supersectional on the same field in Orland Park.
"It's wild," Fahey said. "I don't think any of these girls have any ideas of what they've really already just done, and that we're still going. Anything can happen, and I'll take this team against anybody, because we defend so well.
"We have our backline, our goalie and our next level, but it's all 11. We defend with 11, and we try to attack with 11. We found some comfort in a decent system that obviously has resulted in some success."