Last hurrah of 9-team DVC was formidable
By Matt Le Cren
When Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley began playing in the DuPage Valley Conference in 2016, they transformed an already tough league into the best in the state.
Naperville North and Neuqua Valley won the first two DVC championships under the nine-team configuration, so it was fitting that those two teams shared the 2018 title in the last season under the current format.
With Wheaton Warrenville South, Wheaton North, Glenbard North and Lake Park leaving to join the new DuKane Conference, the most interesting chapter in the DVC’s history came to a close.
But what an ending it was. After a terrific regular season that saw four teams enter the final week of the league season with a shot at the title, conference teams enjoyed an impressive postseason run.
Five teams won regional championships -- four in the Plainfield North Sectional where Naperville North edged Naperville Central in overtime in one semifinal and Neuqua Valley beat Metea Valley in the other before Naperville North knocked out Neuqua Valley 3-0 in the final to become the final league team standing.
Meanwhile, a revived Wheaton Warrenville South eliminated Lake Park en route to winning a regional at the Geneva Sectional, the program’s first regional crown since 2013, and Waubonsie Valley won 13 games before losing in overtime to Naperville Central in a regional final.
“It speaks to the strength of the conference that four teams are in the (Plainfield North) sectional,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “And Naperville Central got sixth in the conference.”
While the DVC will still have five great teams in 2019, it won’t be the same as the brief but glorious era that preceded it.
“Without a doubt we feel that it’s the best conference in the state,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “At any given time, we had four teams in the top 10 state-wide.”
Here's a look back at the 2018 season.
Naperville North
Record: DVC 7-1-0 (co-champion); overall 21-4-4
Playoff result: Beat Andrew in Class 3A third place game
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 4
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 3
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 3
Once again, the Huskies somehow found a way to be the leader of the pack, not only in the DVC but in the western suburbs, long known as a hotbed of the sport.
Despite losing eight starters to graduation from a team that posted a team-record 20 shutouts and reached the supersectional before being upset by Downers Grove North, Naperville North reloaded on the fly. The Huskies grabbed a share of the DVC title and made a run to the state semifinals before losing 1-0 to Barrington, which won its second-straight state title the following day by edging New Trier on penalty kicks.
Incredibly, the Huskies won their 13th sectional championship in the past 22 seasons and 14th overall. They now have won nine state trophies, four of which have come since 2011.
“We’ve definitely had more heralded groups and everybody outside of us as a group thought that this was going to be a down year for North because we lost so much,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “Just a credit to how special these kids are and how hard they worked this year.
“They truly bought into to what makes Naperville North soccer great, and that’s hard work every single game. We got some special performances along the way from some great kids, some seniors and also Hannah Martin stepping up and scoring game-winning goal after game-winning goal.”
Senior midfielder Katelynn Buescher and senior goalkeeper Maddie Hausmann earned coaches all-state recognition. Both finished their prep careers in style as the Illinois-bound Buescher scored on a penalty kick with 6:49 remaining and Hausmann recorded her 18th shutout to cap North’s 3-0 win over Andrew in the third place game at North Central College.
“I couldn’t be happier that we ended with a win,” Goletz said. “What a great night for us a program to be able to finish it the way we did.
“Our defense has carried us all year and to put up a zero in your last game after such a hard-fought battle last night, I give the kids all the credit in the world to be able to come back and give a performance like that and dominate a good team from start to finish. Every player got in the game today. It was a gauntlet of a schedule this year, and it was pretty damn impressive to go 21-4-4.”
That gauntlet began with the DVC slate. The Huskies stumbled early, dropping a 1-0 decision on the road to Metea Valley in their second league game. But they rebounded to win their last five conference games, with the key decision a 1-0 win over host Neuqua Valley.
Martin, a sophomore striker with tremendous potential, scored the only goal in that game. It was one of nine game-winners Martin scored this spring.
That Neuqua Valley game proved to be a springboard for the Huskies, who got better as the season went on. They won the rematch in the sectional final by a more comfortable margin.
“Our conference is very challenging, so our road to state is challenging enough,” the Loyola-bound Hausmann said after Naperville North’s 1-0 supersectional win over Belleville West. “So for us to beat Neuqua, which tied us for first in the DVC, was a huge confidence boost.
“In the regular season we beat them 1-0, so for us to get three goals under our belt was a huge confidence booster coming into this (supersectional).”
The Huskies didn’t have a dominant scorer but their offense got more effective toward the end of the campaign. Martin scored a team-high 15 goals and earned All-Sectional honors along with senior forward Shaina Dudas, who netted 10 goals and a team-high 12 assists.
Buescher, Hausmann, Dudas, Martin and senior twins Jessica and Alyssa Siebers, who anchored the defense, were All-DVC picks, while senior forward Megan Benmore was Honorable Mention All-DVC.
Neuqua Valley
Record: DVC 7-1-0 (co-champion); overall: 14-6-0
Playoff result: Lost to Naperville North in sectional final
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 8
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 5
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 6
Only a 1-0 loss to Naperville North prevented the Wildcats from a second-consecutive unbeaten run through the DVC.
After losing to Barrington, St. Charles North and Missouri power Nerinx Hall to start the season, Neuqua Valley won 14 of 16 games against one of the toughest schedules in the state. That included three wins over District 204 rival Metea Valley, which ousted the Wildcats from the playoffs last year in the sectional semifinals. Neuqua Valley knocked off Metea Valley in league action, beat the Mustangs again in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals and eliminated them with a decisive 4-0 victory in the sectional semifinals.
The victory parade didn’t end until the sectional final, when Naperville North held an under-the-weather Alyssa Bombacino to just two shots in a 3-0 decision.
“I’m very proud of my girls,” Moreau said. “No one expected us to do as much as we did, to be conference and regional champions and make it to the sectional final with a team that returned three starters. It was a good season.”
Indeed, the Wildcats had much to write home about. The Marquette-bound Bombacino capped a brilliant four-year career by scoring 12 goals and recording six assists, and earning All-American recognition from the United States Soccer Coaches association and Illinois coaches all-state honors.
Bombacino finished her prep career with 46 goals, which is third on the program’s all-time list behind Gianna Dal Pazzo’s 54 and Michele Weissenhofer’s 53. She joins Megan Oyster as the only players in school history to earn All-DVC honors four times.
In addition, junior Erin McCarthy, a Lipscomb recruit, was an All-Sectional pick after scoring four goals, including two game-winners, and anchoring a defense that gave up just 13 goals despite losing senior leader Kailey Serna to a season-ending head injury.
Midfielder Dani Hopkins was honorable mention All-Sectional, while Bombacino, McCarthy, Hopkins, junior defender Shannon Tagler and senior goalkeeper Yanel Ortiz, who won the league Golden Gloves Award, were All-DVC.
Metea Valley
Record: DVC: 5-2-1 (third place); overall 14-8-3
Playoff result: Lost to Neuqua Valley in sectional semifinal
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 9
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 25
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 26
The Mustangs produced what everyone has come to expect from them: determination and talent in the face of a tough schedule, which included their debut in the Naperville Invitational, the top tournament in the state.
Metea Valley was the only DVC team to beat Naperville North, doing so 1-0 early in the season. That was the Mustangs’ first win over the Huskies in four years.
The rigorous slate caught up the Mustangs late in the regular season as they struggled through a 1-3-3 stretch, which included a loss to Wheaton Warrenville South and a tie against Wheaton North that knocked them out of the league race.
But they recovered to win their fifth-consecutive regional championship before losing to Neuqua Valley for the third time this season. The 4-0 defeat denied Metea Valley a berth in its fifth-straight sectional final.
“Overall the season was another one filled with tough competition,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “We beat some very talented teams and competed at a very high level. We also played a really good brand of soccer.”
Illinois recruit Maeve Riordan paced the offense with 10 goals and nine assists, while Sophia Senese added eight goals and seven assists and Lauryn Wesoloski had five goals and four assists. A young backline led by Paige Buranosky improved this season and the Mustangs have a potential future star in sophomore goalkeeper Nikki Coryell, who made some outstanding saves and recorded a 1.04 goals-against average.
Senese and midfielder Chesney Wargo were named All-Sectional, with Buranosky earning Honorable Mention All-Sectional.
Riordan, Wargo, Senese and Buranosky were All-DVC, while Wesoloski, Kayla Hurst and Nicole Dawson rated Honorable Mention All-DVC status.
Wheaton Warrenville South
Record: DVC 5-3-0 (fourth, tie); overall 15-8-0
Playoff result: Lost to Conant in sectional semifinal
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 20
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 32
The Tigers rode a strong Maria Dohse-led defense and an improved offense to their best season in many years before losing to Conant on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw in the sectional semifinals.
Junior Paige Miller earned All-State honors after leading the team with 13 goals and 11 assists. Miller was the DVC Golden Boot winner, scoring seven goals in conference play.
All-Sectional pick Dohse anchored a defense that gave up 21 goals in 23 matches. Miller, Dohse and midfielders Allie Anderson (11 goals, 9 assists as an Honorable Mention All-Sectional pick) and J.J. Aalbue were All-DVC selections.
“We have about the same lineup as we did last year except for one or two people,” senior forward Morgan Schwerin said. “For some reason we just had more intensity this year.
“We played a lot of the teams we expected to play and beat and somehow the last week we just kind of had some injuries and didn’t get to finish our goals.”
The Tigers entered the final week of the season with an outside shot at winning the league, but losses to Naperville North and Neuqua Valley ended those hopes. But they rebounded to knock off Wheaton North 3-1 to retain the Wheaton Cup on the final day of the regular season.
“We could have won DVC,” Schwerin said. “It was close.
“There was a lot of good teams in the DVC this year. We had some mistakes that cost us, but it was fun.”
Indeed, the Tigers enjoyed a six-game winning streak that included the first of two upset wins over Metea Valley and also narrowly missed winning the PepsiCo Showdown, where they advanced to the championship game as the no. 10 seed before falling 2-1 to top-seeded St. Charles North.
“We (were still alive) in the final week, and that’s what we had hoped for,” Callipari said. “It’s just a grind every day no matter who you play, and I’m glad the way it played out that everybody had a chance.
“There were four teams at the end that could have come out victorious, and we were a part of that. That was fun.”
With Wheaton Warrenville South’s departure, the league will say goodbye to Callipari, the dean of DVC coaches.
“We’re going to miss it,” Callipari said. “It’s bittersweet because the guys are a class act, the programs are always top notch. It’s a lot of fun, and it was a great 27 years to be a part of.”
Waubonsie Valley
Record: DVC 5-3-0 (fourth, tie); overal 13-5-3
Playoff result: Lost to Naperville Central in regional final
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: 17
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 48
The Warriors went unbeaten through their first seven games before the schedule stiffened, but they still were in the DVC race with two games left until a 2-1 loss to Naperville North eliminated them.
Waubonsie Valley had a great one-two scoring punch up-top with coaches all-stater and senior Kennedy Metzger and All-Section Honorable Mention sophomore Grace Setter, both of whom recorded 13 goals and eight assists. Metzger, a four-year starter, will continue her career at Ball State, while the 6-foot-1 Setter, who also plays varsity basketball, figures to take over as the program’s next star.
There was little offense behind those two -- no other player scored more than four goals. Metzger and Setter both scored in the regional final against Naperville Central, but the Redhawks pulled out a 3-2 overtime win. The Warriors have lost in the regional title game in each of the last three seasons.
Goalkeeper Sarah Young was All-Section, and Metzger, Young and senior Rachel White were All-DVC selections.
Naperville Central
Record: DVC 3-5-0 (sixth); overall: 11-13-1
Playoff result: Lost to Naperville North in sectional semifinal
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 15
The Redhawks weren’t the most talented team in the DVC but they may have been the grittiest.
Despite losing four players, including their starting goalkeeper and two defenders, to season-ending injuries and playing without their best player, All-Sectional senior defender Sarah Avery, for the final three weeks of the regular season, the Redhawks somehow managed to win a regional championship and throw a big scare into Naperville North in the playoffs.
“To a group of girls our season was one of frustration,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “We lost four starters to ACL injuries, but through all our injuries the next girl stepped up and competed.
“This Redhawk team was one of the most resilient groups we have ever had. We competed in every match and finished the season playing our best soccer.”
Indeed, the Redhawks overcame a season-long goal drought and a goal-differential of only plus-2 to make things interesting in the postseason. They scored only 33 goals, were shut out eight times and their leading scorers were seniors Jessica Sonner and All-Sectional midfielder Maddie Redeker, who each tallied five goals.
But Sonner, an MIT recruit, scored the game-winning goal in Central’s 3-2 double-overtime upset of Waubonsie Valley in the regional championship game and assisted Maddie Mills on the game-tying goal in the sectional semifinal against Naperville North, a match the Huskies won 2-1 in double overtime.
“The regional final win against Waubonsie Valley in double overtime was indicative of the team’s drive,” Watson said. “Although we eventually lost to Naperville North in the sectional semifinal (another double overtime game), the second half comeback in that game was one that would make any coach proud.”
Redeker, who will play at Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Northern Illinois-bound Avery were named All-Sectional and All-DVC, while Sonner, Abbey Hillman and Hannah Bradley-Leon, a pint-sized sophomore dynamo who had four goals and tied Sonner for the team lead in assists with seven, were Honorable Mention All-DVC.
Wheaton North
Record: DVC 2-5-1 (seventh); overall 4-14-2
Playoff result: Lost to Conant in regional semifinal
Like Naperville Central, the Falcons were a team hamstrung by injuries and a lack of offense. They competed against quality competition, but didn't get the results late.
“We’ve had a week and half where we’ve gone into overtime or had one-goal games against Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley and Naperville Central,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said after the Falcons’ final DVC game, a 3-1 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South that went down to the wire.
The Falcons actually won two of their first three DVC games before dropping from contention but competed well. Ten of Wheaton North’s 14 losses were by two goals or less and four of their five DVC defeats were decided by one goal, including a 1-0 overtime loss to Naperville Central.
Despite the return of senior Kailee Sowers from club soccer, the Falcons scored only 17 goals this season. A hard-working defense led by seniors Jaden Trometer (an All-Sectional pick) and Hannah Swider, who will play basketball at Wheaton College, kept them in nearly every game. Sowers and Trometer were named to the All-DVC team.
McEvilly is sad to say goodbye to the DVC, a league he both played and coached in.
“You knew in the DVC you were going to get a challenging game every single night with the teams that we are leaving behind,” said McEvilly, who coached the Falcons to two DVC titles and third place at the 2006 state finals. “I was blessed to be a player in the DVC (at Naperville Central) and get to coach in the DVC for almost 20 years, so it is bittersweet to leave, but the competition is not going to get easier when we move.”
Glenbard North
Record: 1-7-0 (eighth place); overall: 4-12-0
Playoff result: Lost to Batavia in regional semifinal
The Panthers scored only 12 goals while giving up 56 and took some nasty lumps at times. But they are trending in the right direction. Glenbard North doubled its 2017 win total with victories over Rockford East, Addison Trail, Lake Park and Rosary, with three of those wins via shutout.
“Although I’m not happy about us conceding so many goals, we made it one of our preseason aims to not concede so quickly into games,” Glenbard North coach David Stanfield said. “By and large, we did that.
“We also worked on doing a better job possessing the ball and we improved in that area, too. In fact, it was nice to receive compliments from officials and opposing coaches (Joe Moreau) in that regard.”
The highlight of the DVC season was a 1-0 win over Lake Park, the second-consecutive year the Panthers have beaten the Lancers.
Individually, freshman defender Anna Pedraza was Honorable Mention All-Sectional and All-DVC.
“(That is) a thoroughly deserved accolade for her maturing and overall high standard of play,” Stanfield said.
Sophomore midfielder Perla Kamami, junior midfielder Sofia Espana and sophomore forward Alexis Bolger all received Honorable Mention All-DVC honors.
“Our levels of experience and ability within the group is quite diverse, and that presents its own set of challenges,” Stanfield said. “But I'm happy to say that the girls were receptive and positive in both games and practices.”
Lake Park
Record: DVC 0-8-0 (ninth); overall: 4-16-0
Playoff result: Lost to Wheaton Warrenville South in regional semifinal
Lake Park’s nine seniors endured back-to-back winless seasons in DVC play, but they never lost their fighting spirit or love for the game. The Lancers were awarded the inaugural Chicagoland Soccer Sportsmanship Award thanks to their perseverance and positive attitude.
Isabel Armas, Jaclyn Lamz, Elizabeth Guenther, Lauren Tarchala, Stephanie Zachemski, Gianna Pistorio, Chloe Harris, Amber Sedwick and All-Sectional Honorable Mention and all-conference player Bri McAloon did their school proud, battling through injuries and competing against some of the top teams in the state.
“They’ve helped the program move forward in many ways, not just on the field,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said when his team received the sportsmanship award. “They’re such tremendous leaders. They’re even getting the gear, moving the goals.
“The younger girls see that and they look up to them. It’s awe-inspiring and a lot of it comes from the kids they are and the teammates they are with these younger girls. It sets a culture for you.”
The Lancers opened the season with 2-0 losses to Naperville North and Conant, and later in the season dropped 1-0 decisions to DVC opponents Wheaton North, Glenbard North and Naperville Central, the latter in overtime. Seven of their losses were by two goals or less.
That was improvement over last season. For example, the Lancers surrendered five fewer goals to Naperville North. Crosby expects similar improvement in the future, though the DuKane Conference will be just as formidable a league with Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles North and St. Charles East defecting from the Upstate Eight Conference.
“That’s the expectation going forward -- play for each other,” Crosby said. “Nobody is above any job, and you stick it out and support each other through the good and bad. Not all the results went our way, but you can be extremely proud of how the seniors handled it.”
By Matt Le Cren
When Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley began playing in the DuPage Valley Conference in 2016, they transformed an already tough league into the best in the state.
Naperville North and Neuqua Valley won the first two DVC championships under the nine-team configuration, so it was fitting that those two teams shared the 2018 title in the last season under the current format.
With Wheaton Warrenville South, Wheaton North, Glenbard North and Lake Park leaving to join the new DuKane Conference, the most interesting chapter in the DVC’s history came to a close.
But what an ending it was. After a terrific regular season that saw four teams enter the final week of the league season with a shot at the title, conference teams enjoyed an impressive postseason run.
Five teams won regional championships -- four in the Plainfield North Sectional where Naperville North edged Naperville Central in overtime in one semifinal and Neuqua Valley beat Metea Valley in the other before Naperville North knocked out Neuqua Valley 3-0 in the final to become the final league team standing.
Meanwhile, a revived Wheaton Warrenville South eliminated Lake Park en route to winning a regional at the Geneva Sectional, the program’s first regional crown since 2013, and Waubonsie Valley won 13 games before losing in overtime to Naperville Central in a regional final.
“It speaks to the strength of the conference that four teams are in the (Plainfield North) sectional,” Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. “And Naperville Central got sixth in the conference.”
While the DVC will still have five great teams in 2019, it won’t be the same as the brief but glorious era that preceded it.
“Without a doubt we feel that it’s the best conference in the state,” Wheaton Warrenville South coach Guy Callipari said. “At any given time, we had four teams in the top 10 state-wide.”
Here's a look back at the 2018 season.
Naperville North
Record: DVC 7-1-0 (co-champion); overall 21-4-4
Playoff result: Beat Andrew in Class 3A third place game
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 4
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 3
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 3
Once again, the Huskies somehow found a way to be the leader of the pack, not only in the DVC but in the western suburbs, long known as a hotbed of the sport.
Despite losing eight starters to graduation from a team that posted a team-record 20 shutouts and reached the supersectional before being upset by Downers Grove North, Naperville North reloaded on the fly. The Huskies grabbed a share of the DVC title and made a run to the state semifinals before losing 1-0 to Barrington, which won its second-straight state title the following day by edging New Trier on penalty kicks.
Incredibly, the Huskies won their 13th sectional championship in the past 22 seasons and 14th overall. They now have won nine state trophies, four of which have come since 2011.
“We’ve definitely had more heralded groups and everybody outside of us as a group thought that this was going to be a down year for North because we lost so much,” Naperville North coach Steve Goletz said. “Just a credit to how special these kids are and how hard they worked this year.
“They truly bought into to what makes Naperville North soccer great, and that’s hard work every single game. We got some special performances along the way from some great kids, some seniors and also Hannah Martin stepping up and scoring game-winning goal after game-winning goal.”
Senior midfielder Katelynn Buescher and senior goalkeeper Maddie Hausmann earned coaches all-state recognition. Both finished their prep careers in style as the Illinois-bound Buescher scored on a penalty kick with 6:49 remaining and Hausmann recorded her 18th shutout to cap North’s 3-0 win over Andrew in the third place game at North Central College.
“I couldn’t be happier that we ended with a win,” Goletz said. “What a great night for us a program to be able to finish it the way we did.
“Our defense has carried us all year and to put up a zero in your last game after such a hard-fought battle last night, I give the kids all the credit in the world to be able to come back and give a performance like that and dominate a good team from start to finish. Every player got in the game today. It was a gauntlet of a schedule this year, and it was pretty damn impressive to go 21-4-4.”
That gauntlet began with the DVC slate. The Huskies stumbled early, dropping a 1-0 decision on the road to Metea Valley in their second league game. But they rebounded to win their last five conference games, with the key decision a 1-0 win over host Neuqua Valley.
Martin, a sophomore striker with tremendous potential, scored the only goal in that game. It was one of nine game-winners Martin scored this spring.
That Neuqua Valley game proved to be a springboard for the Huskies, who got better as the season went on. They won the rematch in the sectional final by a more comfortable margin.
“Our conference is very challenging, so our road to state is challenging enough,” the Loyola-bound Hausmann said after Naperville North’s 1-0 supersectional win over Belleville West. “So for us to beat Neuqua, which tied us for first in the DVC, was a huge confidence boost.
“In the regular season we beat them 1-0, so for us to get three goals under our belt was a huge confidence booster coming into this (supersectional).”
The Huskies didn’t have a dominant scorer but their offense got more effective toward the end of the campaign. Martin scored a team-high 15 goals and earned All-Sectional honors along with senior forward Shaina Dudas, who netted 10 goals and a team-high 12 assists.
Buescher, Hausmann, Dudas, Martin and senior twins Jessica and Alyssa Siebers, who anchored the defense, were All-DVC picks, while senior forward Megan Benmore was Honorable Mention All-DVC.
Neuqua Valley
Record: DVC 7-1-0 (co-champion); overall: 14-6-0
Playoff result: Lost to Naperville North in sectional final
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 8
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 5
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 6
Only a 1-0 loss to Naperville North prevented the Wildcats from a second-consecutive unbeaten run through the DVC.
After losing to Barrington, St. Charles North and Missouri power Nerinx Hall to start the season, Neuqua Valley won 14 of 16 games against one of the toughest schedules in the state. That included three wins over District 204 rival Metea Valley, which ousted the Wildcats from the playoffs last year in the sectional semifinals. Neuqua Valley knocked off Metea Valley in league action, beat the Mustangs again in the Naperville Invitational quarterfinals and eliminated them with a decisive 4-0 victory in the sectional semifinals.
The victory parade didn’t end until the sectional final, when Naperville North held an under-the-weather Alyssa Bombacino to just two shots in a 3-0 decision.
“I’m very proud of my girls,” Moreau said. “No one expected us to do as much as we did, to be conference and regional champions and make it to the sectional final with a team that returned three starters. It was a good season.”
Indeed, the Wildcats had much to write home about. The Marquette-bound Bombacino capped a brilliant four-year career by scoring 12 goals and recording six assists, and earning All-American recognition from the United States Soccer Coaches association and Illinois coaches all-state honors.
Bombacino finished her prep career with 46 goals, which is third on the program’s all-time list behind Gianna Dal Pazzo’s 54 and Michele Weissenhofer’s 53. She joins Megan Oyster as the only players in school history to earn All-DVC honors four times.
In addition, junior Erin McCarthy, a Lipscomb recruit, was an All-Sectional pick after scoring four goals, including two game-winners, and anchoring a defense that gave up just 13 goals despite losing senior leader Kailey Serna to a season-ending head injury.
Midfielder Dani Hopkins was honorable mention All-Sectional, while Bombacino, McCarthy, Hopkins, junior defender Shannon Tagler and senior goalkeeper Yanel Ortiz, who won the league Golden Gloves Award, were All-DVC.
Metea Valley
Record: DVC: 5-2-1 (third place); overall 14-8-3
Playoff result: Lost to Neuqua Valley in sectional semifinal
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 9
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 25
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 26
The Mustangs produced what everyone has come to expect from them: determination and talent in the face of a tough schedule, which included their debut in the Naperville Invitational, the top tournament in the state.
Metea Valley was the only DVC team to beat Naperville North, doing so 1-0 early in the season. That was the Mustangs’ first win over the Huskies in four years.
The rigorous slate caught up the Mustangs late in the regular season as they struggled through a 1-3-3 stretch, which included a loss to Wheaton Warrenville South and a tie against Wheaton North that knocked them out of the league race.
But they recovered to win their fifth-consecutive regional championship before losing to Neuqua Valley for the third time this season. The 4-0 defeat denied Metea Valley a berth in its fifth-straight sectional final.
“Overall the season was another one filled with tough competition,” Metea Valley coach Chris Whaley said. “We beat some very talented teams and competed at a very high level. We also played a really good brand of soccer.”
Illinois recruit Maeve Riordan paced the offense with 10 goals and nine assists, while Sophia Senese added eight goals and seven assists and Lauryn Wesoloski had five goals and four assists. A young backline led by Paige Buranosky improved this season and the Mustangs have a potential future star in sophomore goalkeeper Nikki Coryell, who made some outstanding saves and recorded a 1.04 goals-against average.
Senese and midfielder Chesney Wargo were named All-Sectional, with Buranosky earning Honorable Mention All-Sectional.
Riordan, Wargo, Senese and Buranosky were All-DVC, while Wesoloski, Kayla Hurst and Nicole Dawson rated Honorable Mention All-DVC status.
Wheaton Warrenville South
Record: DVC 5-3-0 (fourth, tie); overall 15-8-0
Playoff result: Lost to Conant in sectional semifinal
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: no. 20
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 32
The Tigers rode a strong Maria Dohse-led defense and an improved offense to their best season in many years before losing to Conant on penalty kicks after a scoreless draw in the sectional semifinals.
Junior Paige Miller earned All-State honors after leading the team with 13 goals and 11 assists. Miller was the DVC Golden Boot winner, scoring seven goals in conference play.
All-Sectional pick Dohse anchored a defense that gave up 21 goals in 23 matches. Miller, Dohse and midfielders Allie Anderson (11 goals, 9 assists as an Honorable Mention All-Sectional pick) and J.J. Aalbue were All-DVC selections.
“We have about the same lineup as we did last year except for one or two people,” senior forward Morgan Schwerin said. “For some reason we just had more intensity this year.
“We played a lot of the teams we expected to play and beat and somehow the last week we just kind of had some injuries and didn’t get to finish our goals.”
The Tigers entered the final week of the season with an outside shot at winning the league, but losses to Naperville North and Neuqua Valley ended those hopes. But they rebounded to knock off Wheaton North 3-1 to retain the Wheaton Cup on the final day of the regular season.
“We could have won DVC,” Schwerin said. “It was close.
“There was a lot of good teams in the DVC this year. We had some mistakes that cost us, but it was fun.”
Indeed, the Tigers enjoyed a six-game winning streak that included the first of two upset wins over Metea Valley and also narrowly missed winning the PepsiCo Showdown, where they advanced to the championship game as the no. 10 seed before falling 2-1 to top-seeded St. Charles North.
“We (were still alive) in the final week, and that’s what we had hoped for,” Callipari said. “It’s just a grind every day no matter who you play, and I’m glad the way it played out that everybody had a chance.
“There were four teams at the end that could have come out victorious, and we were a part of that. That was fun.”
With Wheaton Warrenville South’s departure, the league will say goodbye to Callipari, the dean of DVC coaches.
“We’re going to miss it,” Callipari said. “It’s bittersweet because the guys are a class act, the programs are always top notch. It’s a lot of fun, and it was a great 27 years to be a part of.”
Waubonsie Valley
Record: DVC 5-3-0 (fourth, tie); overal 13-5-3
Playoff result: Lost to Naperville Central in regional final
Final Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 rank: 17
Chicagoland Soccer Final 50 rank: no. 48
The Warriors went unbeaten through their first seven games before the schedule stiffened, but they still were in the DVC race with two games left until a 2-1 loss to Naperville North eliminated them.
Waubonsie Valley had a great one-two scoring punch up-top with coaches all-stater and senior Kennedy Metzger and All-Section Honorable Mention sophomore Grace Setter, both of whom recorded 13 goals and eight assists. Metzger, a four-year starter, will continue her career at Ball State, while the 6-foot-1 Setter, who also plays varsity basketball, figures to take over as the program’s next star.
There was little offense behind those two -- no other player scored more than four goals. Metzger and Setter both scored in the regional final against Naperville Central, but the Redhawks pulled out a 3-2 overtime win. The Warriors have lost in the regional title game in each of the last three seasons.
Goalkeeper Sarah Young was All-Section, and Metzger, Young and senior Rachel White were All-DVC selections.
Naperville Central
Record: DVC 3-5-0 (sixth); overall: 11-13-1
Playoff result: Lost to Naperville North in sectional semifinal
Preseason Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: no. 15
The Redhawks weren’t the most talented team in the DVC but they may have been the grittiest.
Despite losing four players, including their starting goalkeeper and two defenders, to season-ending injuries and playing without their best player, All-Sectional senior defender Sarah Avery, for the final three weeks of the regular season, the Redhawks somehow managed to win a regional championship and throw a big scare into Naperville North in the playoffs.
“To a group of girls our season was one of frustration,” Naperville Central coach Ed Watson said. “We lost four starters to ACL injuries, but through all our injuries the next girl stepped up and competed.
“This Redhawk team was one of the most resilient groups we have ever had. We competed in every match and finished the season playing our best soccer.”
Indeed, the Redhawks overcame a season-long goal drought and a goal-differential of only plus-2 to make things interesting in the postseason. They scored only 33 goals, were shut out eight times and their leading scorers were seniors Jessica Sonner and All-Sectional midfielder Maddie Redeker, who each tallied five goals.
But Sonner, an MIT recruit, scored the game-winning goal in Central’s 3-2 double-overtime upset of Waubonsie Valley in the regional championship game and assisted Maddie Mills on the game-tying goal in the sectional semifinal against Naperville North, a match the Huskies won 2-1 in double overtime.
“The regional final win against Waubonsie Valley in double overtime was indicative of the team’s drive,” Watson said. “Although we eventually lost to Naperville North in the sectional semifinal (another double overtime game), the second half comeback in that game was one that would make any coach proud.”
Redeker, who will play at Wisconsin-Whitewater, and Northern Illinois-bound Avery were named All-Sectional and All-DVC, while Sonner, Abbey Hillman and Hannah Bradley-Leon, a pint-sized sophomore dynamo who had four goals and tied Sonner for the team lead in assists with seven, were Honorable Mention All-DVC.
Wheaton North
Record: DVC 2-5-1 (seventh); overall 4-14-2
Playoff result: Lost to Conant in regional semifinal
Like Naperville Central, the Falcons were a team hamstrung by injuries and a lack of offense. They competed against quality competition, but didn't get the results late.
“We’ve had a week and half where we’ve gone into overtime or had one-goal games against Neuqua Valley, Metea Valley and Naperville Central,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said after the Falcons’ final DVC game, a 3-1 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South that went down to the wire.
The Falcons actually won two of their first three DVC games before dropping from contention but competed well. Ten of Wheaton North’s 14 losses were by two goals or less and four of their five DVC defeats were decided by one goal, including a 1-0 overtime loss to Naperville Central.
Despite the return of senior Kailee Sowers from club soccer, the Falcons scored only 17 goals this season. A hard-working defense led by seniors Jaden Trometer (an All-Sectional pick) and Hannah Swider, who will play basketball at Wheaton College, kept them in nearly every game. Sowers and Trometer were named to the All-DVC team.
McEvilly is sad to say goodbye to the DVC, a league he both played and coached in.
“You knew in the DVC you were going to get a challenging game every single night with the teams that we are leaving behind,” said McEvilly, who coached the Falcons to two DVC titles and third place at the 2006 state finals. “I was blessed to be a player in the DVC (at Naperville Central) and get to coach in the DVC for almost 20 years, so it is bittersweet to leave, but the competition is not going to get easier when we move.”
Glenbard North
Record: 1-7-0 (eighth place); overall: 4-12-0
Playoff result: Lost to Batavia in regional semifinal
The Panthers scored only 12 goals while giving up 56 and took some nasty lumps at times. But they are trending in the right direction. Glenbard North doubled its 2017 win total with victories over Rockford East, Addison Trail, Lake Park and Rosary, with three of those wins via shutout.
“Although I’m not happy about us conceding so many goals, we made it one of our preseason aims to not concede so quickly into games,” Glenbard North coach David Stanfield said. “By and large, we did that.
“We also worked on doing a better job possessing the ball and we improved in that area, too. In fact, it was nice to receive compliments from officials and opposing coaches (Joe Moreau) in that regard.”
The highlight of the DVC season was a 1-0 win over Lake Park, the second-consecutive year the Panthers have beaten the Lancers.
Individually, freshman defender Anna Pedraza was Honorable Mention All-Sectional and All-DVC.
“(That is) a thoroughly deserved accolade for her maturing and overall high standard of play,” Stanfield said.
Sophomore midfielder Perla Kamami, junior midfielder Sofia Espana and sophomore forward Alexis Bolger all received Honorable Mention All-DVC honors.
“Our levels of experience and ability within the group is quite diverse, and that presents its own set of challenges,” Stanfield said. “But I'm happy to say that the girls were receptive and positive in both games and practices.”
Lake Park
Record: DVC 0-8-0 (ninth); overall: 4-16-0
Playoff result: Lost to Wheaton Warrenville South in regional semifinal
Lake Park’s nine seniors endured back-to-back winless seasons in DVC play, but they never lost their fighting spirit or love for the game. The Lancers were awarded the inaugural Chicagoland Soccer Sportsmanship Award thanks to their perseverance and positive attitude.
Isabel Armas, Jaclyn Lamz, Elizabeth Guenther, Lauren Tarchala, Stephanie Zachemski, Gianna Pistorio, Chloe Harris, Amber Sedwick and All-Sectional Honorable Mention and all-conference player Bri McAloon did their school proud, battling through injuries and competing against some of the top teams in the state.
“They’ve helped the program move forward in many ways, not just on the field,” Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said when his team received the sportsmanship award. “They’re such tremendous leaders. They’re even getting the gear, moving the goals.
“The younger girls see that and they look up to them. It’s awe-inspiring and a lot of it comes from the kids they are and the teammates they are with these younger girls. It sets a culture for you.”
The Lancers opened the season with 2-0 losses to Naperville North and Conant, and later in the season dropped 1-0 decisions to DVC opponents Wheaton North, Glenbard North and Naperville Central, the latter in overtime. Seven of their losses were by two goals or less.
That was improvement over last season. For example, the Lancers surrendered five fewer goals to Naperville North. Crosby expects similar improvement in the future, though the DuKane Conference will be just as formidable a league with Geneva, Batavia, St. Charles North and St. Charles East defecting from the Upstate Eight Conference.
“That’s the expectation going forward -- play for each other,” Crosby said. “Nobody is above any job, and you stick it out and support each other through the good and bad. Not all the results went our way, but you can be extremely proud of how the seniors handled it.”