Season recap: DuPage Valley Conference
By Matt Le Cren
The 2018 season was a unique one for the DuPage Valley Conference.
It was the first -- and last -- season the league played with only five teams
Gone were Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Lake Park and Glenbard North, who left to form the new DuKane Conference with Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North.
In for next season is DeKalb, which will give the DVC a more desirable six teams.
The 2018 league season may have been brief, with each team playing only four games, but it was exciting and went right down to the wire before Naperville North defended its crown by edging Metea Valley 1-0 in the final game of the league slate.
Naperville North went on to complete the first unbeaten and untied season in Illinois history and won its third-straight state title with a 1-0 win over previously unbeaten and untied foe Libertyville on November 3.
There was quality throughout the league. Not counting league games and head-to-head playoff battles, DVC schools compiled a 47-26-7 record. Each school had at least one player who competed for the Galaxy Soccer Club team that won the Under-17 national title in July.
It was merely the continuation of a remarkable run of excellence by the District 203 and District 204 schools, which have won a sectional championship in each of the past 12 seasons and 20 in the past 25 years, even though in most of those years all the schools have been placed in the same sectional.
Here are some of the highlights from this fall:
Naperville North
DVC record: 4-0 (champion)
Overall record: 26-0-0
Playoff result: beat Libertyville in Class 3A state championship game
Before transcendent stars Tom Welch, Colin Iverson and Ty Konrad took turns holding the Class 3A state championship trophy and before yet another epic playoff run, the Huskies first had to accomplish their first goal -- winning conference.
They did so in their trademark fashion, going undefeated while not allowing a goal. Yet they will be the first to admit the path was not easy and the margin of victory far from great.
The Huskies won each of their final three league matches by 1-0 scores, with all three of the goals coming on restarts. North, in fact, faced elimination from the league race in each of its last two games, before squeaking past Naperville Central and Metea Valley.
Zach Smith, the junior transfer from Kaneland, bagged the game-winning goal in each game, heading home a throw-in from Christian Romano with 37 seconds left in regulation to beat the Redhawks, then converting a penalty kick in the second half against Metea.
Earlier in the season, Iverson provided the only offense in the defeat of Neuqua Valley, flicking a header off a Romano throw in between two defenders and the goalkeeper.
While the other schools have had notable achievements, especially in the postseason, Naperville North is clearly the premier program in the history of the DVC. The title was the 26th for the Huskies. Coach Jim Konrad, who won two DVC crowns as a player, has equaled his old coach and mentor Dave Bucher with 13 as the skipper.
“It will never get old and nothing can diminish it when you’ve got teams like Metea, Central, Neuqua and Waubonsie in the conference,” Jim Konrad said. “Obviously no one wants to come play with us (in the DVC), so I think I’m super proud of the conference.
“I was lucky enough to play in it as a kid so it’s always going to be special to me. We’ve been fortunate to win it as much as we have.”
The DVC crown was the fifth in a row for the Huskies, who continue to succeed even as the roster changes. Welch and Konrad, who were All-Americans, and All-Stater Iverson were a part of the last three champions. But others like Romano got to share in the joy like never before.
A reserve last season, Romano stepped into the starting lineup as one of three new defenders and was thrilled to get in on the action.
“This year kind of stepping up has been awesome,” Romano said. “It’s been great to win the DVC title as a varsity player. It’s just a great honor to be on a team like this with this legacy.”
Welch had a 0.17 goals-against average and 22 shutouts and finishes as the program record-holder in career shutouts with 44. He allowed only four goals this season, one more than he scored as a late game substitute at forward.
Iverson, who tallied 18 goals and eight assists, graduates as the highest-scoring defender in school history with 46 goals, including the winning goals in each of the last two state championship matches. Ty Konrad led the team in scoring with 14 goals and a team-high 19 assists.
Smith, an All-Sectional pick who had 13 goals, including five game-winners, was All-DVC along with Welch, Iverson, Konrad, Romano and junior midfielders Cesar Recendez and Nata Rojas.
Metea Valley
DVC record 2-1-1 (second place, tie)
Overall record: 13-6-2
Playoff result: lost to Oswego in regional final
They didn’t get as far or win as many games as they did last year, but the Mustangs arguably were better than they ever have been. Exciting to watch and filled with talented offensive players as never before, Metea played a great brand of soccer and set a program record for fewest losses in a season while coming up two wins short of tying the 2017 team for most wins in school history.
Whether it was the playmaking of Evan Lang, the prodigious production of James Lynch and Shareef Amor or the outstanding goalkeeping of Gandhi Cruz, the Mustangs put on a great show.
Ironically, it was a shutout loss that provided the most memorable moment. With the DVC title hanging in the balance, the host Mustangs gave Naperville North all it could handle, surrendering only a Zach Smith penalty kick in a 1-0 defeat.
Following that game, Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson wanted to muster some outrage at the Huskies but couldn’t, instead riffing on the special bond of the brotherhood of men in the DVC coaching tree.
“First thing, congrats to Jim (Konrad) and Steve (Goletz) on wining the DVC,” Robinson said. “The most frustrating thing is how class of an act that they are all the time, so when they keep beating me and (assistant coach) Chris (Whaley) it’s frustrating because they are the best guys in the business.
“Yeah, you want to win, but at the same time the kids do it with class and (the coaches) do it with class. It’s almost aggravating.
“It’s like, ‘I wish you guys weren’t so darn nice and so darn good people because then I could be mad at you.'
“But we love playing against Jim. Their kids are great, and after the game these kids are hugging each other. They all know each other from the club team. It’s a good environment.”
Cruz, who is probably the best goalie in the state not named Tom Welch, posted an 0.98 goals-against average and seven shutouts and gave Metea a chance in every game.
He relishes the competitive environment the DVC offers.
“Every team likes to compete,” Cruz said. “Nobody likes to give in easy goals.
“(Teams) play hard. They all have a mindset of going to win every game, and that’s our mindset, too. Just playing in this conference is a great feeling.”
Cruz, Lang, Lynch and midfielder Matthew Berry were all-sectional picks for the Mustangs, while Amor was honorable mention all-conference. That quintet also was All-DVC, with Lynch leading the team in scoring with 14 goals and nine assists. Amor had 12 goals and seven assists, while Lang tallied 11 goals and 10 assists.
Naperville Central
DVC record: 2-1-1 (second place, tie)
Overall record: 6-8-4
Playoff result: lost to Neuqua Valley in regional semifinal
History indicates that the Redhawks suffered their first losing season since 2002. The main reason was a lack of offense and an inconsistent effort that at times was maddening for coach Troy Adams.
And yet, Naperville Central was the team that came the closest to beating Naperville North this season, holding the Huskies scoreless until Zach Smith scored on a header with 37 seconds left in their annual crosstown battle. Had the Redhawks won that game, they would have eliminated North from the DVC race.
Central actually finished second among DVC teams in goal differential in league games at plus-5, with the most impressive victory being a 4-0 road win over Neuqua Valley. How, then, to explain the fact that the Redhawks were shut out six times, including twice in DVC action?
“It was all over the place,” Adams said of the DVC slate. “What, three or four goals separated first to third? And that’s the way it happens a lot of times.”
While the offense lacked punch, Central’s defense was rock solid. Senior center backs Cameron Strang and Jake Crawford kept the Redhawks in every game, no matter the opponent. Six of the eight losses were by one goal and the other two, against traditional powers Notre Dame (Peoria) and Morton, were two-goal decisions.
Strang, who led the team in scoring with seven goals, earned IHSSCA All-State and All-DVC honors, while Crawford and junior midfielder Rohan Bhargava were All-Sectional and All-DVC.
“It was going to be an interesting group from the get-go,” Adams said. “We didn’t have a lot of returning attacking players. We knew there would be a lot of onus on the goalkeepers and Cam and Jake to lead us.
“What I’m going to take away from this season is the leadership we saw from Jake and Cam and the rest of the seniors. At the end of the day, that’s really what high school sports is about, teaching kids those leadership roles and teaching kids to compete.”
The Redhawks probably deserved a shot at competing for a regional championship, yet they were grouped in the same regional with Naperville North and Neuqua Valley. Naperville North coach Jim Konrad did not want to face the Redhawks again. In the end, he didn’t have to thanks to Neuqua Valley, which edged them in the regional semifinal.
“I feel bad for Cam and Jake and the other seniors that unfortunately they have to go out in the first round when they probably shouldn’t,” Adams said. “This is the problem with the IHSA not caring about soccer and how it’s seeded.
“The result didn’t go the way we wanted, but I was really happy with how the kids competed and the way the seniors led.”
Neuqua Valley
DVC record: 1-3-0 (fourth place)
Overall record: 8-8-2
Playoff result: lost to Naperville North in regional final
You are, as the saying goes, what your record says you are. So Neuqua Valley was a .500 team this year on paper.
How they got to that point was an interesting story. There was a head-scratching loss early to Manteno, followed by defeats against York and Naperville Central and a draw with Batavia.
Neuqua Valley avenged the 4-0 loss to Naperville Central by eliminating the Redhawks 2-1 in the regional semifinals.
After that playoff win, senior Tom Bludgen riffed on a how important a tough schedule, especially the competition provided by the DVC, is to a team looking to maximize its potential.
“The DVC has so many great players in it,” Bludgen said. “We’ve got players on North like Colin Iverson and Tommy Welch, and Cameron Strang on Central. Just playing them in games in conference really prepared ourselves for games like this.
“I wasn’t on the team last year, but our coach was telling us how we beat a team like 4-0, and they came back and beat us in the playoffs 3-1 or something. We were like, we were going to flip this around this year, and it’s going to be the other way around. We were preparing all week for this.”
Bludgen bagged the game-winning goal against the Redhawks in a match that should have been for a regional championship. It was only a semifinal because three DVC teams – Neuqua, Central and North – were grouped into the same regional, which was considered the toughest in the state.
“Our coach said we’re not the 10th seed,” Bludgen said. “We’ve got to show them that that’s not who we are, not where we deserved to be, and I think we proved that we can work hard and fight with some of these great players and great teams.”
Indeed, the Wildcats twice gave Naperville North all it could handle. In two matches against Neuqua, the Huskies scored four goals, all by Colin Iverson on headers off two throw-ins and two corner kicks.
The Wildcats and Huskies were scoreless for 63 minutes in the regional final before Iverson recorded a hat-trick in the next 11 minutes. Despite the loss, Neuqua co-captain David Kuhn had nothing but praise for the Huskies.
“I love Colin,” Kuhn said. “He’s a great guy; he has great character. He’s a really cool dude.
“I know all of them, and they’re a talented team. They work hard, and they work hard for each other. They play with a lot of heart out there. So did our boys. We played with a lot of heart, and we battled.”
Kuhn scored five goals, one fewer than team leader Jose Navarro, his fellow senior midfielder. Those two provided a terrific 1-2 punch in the middle of the field. Kuhn’s vocal leadership meshing perfectly with Navarro’s quieter, yet physical, presence.
Those two and senior defender Brandon Szabo were All-DVC picks and will be sorely missed. But there is still talent in the pipeline. Junior starters Jaison Chisnell and Mac Lehman will be back, as will a trio of freshmen in Jack Georgi, John Pochyly and Harshit Gupta, who all gained valuable experience as rookies. Pochyly had the biggest moment, scoring the buzzer-beater to give the Wildcats their only DVC win, a 3-2 decision against Waubonsie Valley.
Waunonsie Valley
DVC record: 0-4-0 (5th place)
Overall record: 4-13-1
Playoff result: lost to Oswego in regional semifinal
The Warriors took some lumps early, getting off to a 1-10-1 start with a junior-heavy starting lineup. But they saved their best for last, winning three of their next five games, including a 1-0 overtime win over Plainfield Central in their playoff opener, before bowing out with a 5-2 loss to third-seeded Oswego.
“We played well at the end, which is great because it gives us something to look forward to in the future,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “We lost to Oswego, but they have a great team.”
The Warriors' talent indicates they are better than their record showed. The schedule was pockmarked with great teams, including their DVC counterparts. Garcia, in fact, would rather finish last in a tough league than first in a loop full of cream puffs.
“I was a little bit worried when I heard there was only going to be five of us playing (in the league),” Garcia said. “But in the end I think it worked out fine.
“We played really the top teams in the state. This is definitely the toughest group that there is in this area, so to be at the bottom of that group is not too shabby.”
Aside from a 5-0 loss to Naperville North in their league opener, the Warriors actually acquitted themselves well, testing Naperville Central and Metea Valley in two-goal losses before ending the league slate with a 3-2 loss to Neuqua Valley on a rare buzzer-beater.
“That’s kind of how the whole season went,” Garcia said. “It was a little bit of luck, and sometimes it worked our way, and sometimes it didn’t fall into our hands.
“But in the end, I liked the product we produced. Hopefully we can continue that next year, because that big junior group is going to come back next year.”
That group is led by the appropriately named Noah Glorioso. The junior midfielder proved to be a consummate leader for a young team that did not return any other varsity starters. Glorioso led the team with six goals, including both in a 2-1 win over Batavia, which went on to win a regional championship as the 16th seed in the sectional.
Glorioso, defender Ryan Sanchez and midfielder Dan Fritz all-earned all-sectional honors. Glorioso was All-DV and Sanchez honorable mention All-DVC.
By Matt Le Cren
The 2018 season was a unique one for the DuPage Valley Conference.
It was the first -- and last -- season the league played with only five teams
Gone were Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South, Lake Park and Glenbard North, who left to form the new DuKane Conference with Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles East and St. Charles North.
In for next season is DeKalb, which will give the DVC a more desirable six teams.
The 2018 league season may have been brief, with each team playing only four games, but it was exciting and went right down to the wire before Naperville North defended its crown by edging Metea Valley 1-0 in the final game of the league slate.
Naperville North went on to complete the first unbeaten and untied season in Illinois history and won its third-straight state title with a 1-0 win over previously unbeaten and untied foe Libertyville on November 3.
There was quality throughout the league. Not counting league games and head-to-head playoff battles, DVC schools compiled a 47-26-7 record. Each school had at least one player who competed for the Galaxy Soccer Club team that won the Under-17 national title in July.
It was merely the continuation of a remarkable run of excellence by the District 203 and District 204 schools, which have won a sectional championship in each of the past 12 seasons and 20 in the past 25 years, even though in most of those years all the schools have been placed in the same sectional.
Here are some of the highlights from this fall:
Naperville North
DVC record: 4-0 (champion)
Overall record: 26-0-0
Playoff result: beat Libertyville in Class 3A state championship game
Before transcendent stars Tom Welch, Colin Iverson and Ty Konrad took turns holding the Class 3A state championship trophy and before yet another epic playoff run, the Huskies first had to accomplish their first goal -- winning conference.
They did so in their trademark fashion, going undefeated while not allowing a goal. Yet they will be the first to admit the path was not easy and the margin of victory far from great.
The Huskies won each of their final three league matches by 1-0 scores, with all three of the goals coming on restarts. North, in fact, faced elimination from the league race in each of its last two games, before squeaking past Naperville Central and Metea Valley.
Zach Smith, the junior transfer from Kaneland, bagged the game-winning goal in each game, heading home a throw-in from Christian Romano with 37 seconds left in regulation to beat the Redhawks, then converting a penalty kick in the second half against Metea.
Earlier in the season, Iverson provided the only offense in the defeat of Neuqua Valley, flicking a header off a Romano throw in between two defenders and the goalkeeper.
While the other schools have had notable achievements, especially in the postseason, Naperville North is clearly the premier program in the history of the DVC. The title was the 26th for the Huskies. Coach Jim Konrad, who won two DVC crowns as a player, has equaled his old coach and mentor Dave Bucher with 13 as the skipper.
“It will never get old and nothing can diminish it when you’ve got teams like Metea, Central, Neuqua and Waubonsie in the conference,” Jim Konrad said. “Obviously no one wants to come play with us (in the DVC), so I think I’m super proud of the conference.
“I was lucky enough to play in it as a kid so it’s always going to be special to me. We’ve been fortunate to win it as much as we have.”
The DVC crown was the fifth in a row for the Huskies, who continue to succeed even as the roster changes. Welch and Konrad, who were All-Americans, and All-Stater Iverson were a part of the last three champions. But others like Romano got to share in the joy like never before.
A reserve last season, Romano stepped into the starting lineup as one of three new defenders and was thrilled to get in on the action.
“This year kind of stepping up has been awesome,” Romano said. “It’s been great to win the DVC title as a varsity player. It’s just a great honor to be on a team like this with this legacy.”
Welch had a 0.17 goals-against average and 22 shutouts and finishes as the program record-holder in career shutouts with 44. He allowed only four goals this season, one more than he scored as a late game substitute at forward.
Iverson, who tallied 18 goals and eight assists, graduates as the highest-scoring defender in school history with 46 goals, including the winning goals in each of the last two state championship matches. Ty Konrad led the team in scoring with 14 goals and a team-high 19 assists.
Smith, an All-Sectional pick who had 13 goals, including five game-winners, was All-DVC along with Welch, Iverson, Konrad, Romano and junior midfielders Cesar Recendez and Nata Rojas.
Metea Valley
DVC record 2-1-1 (second place, tie)
Overall record: 13-6-2
Playoff result: lost to Oswego in regional final
They didn’t get as far or win as many games as they did last year, but the Mustangs arguably were better than they ever have been. Exciting to watch and filled with talented offensive players as never before, Metea played a great brand of soccer and set a program record for fewest losses in a season while coming up two wins short of tying the 2017 team for most wins in school history.
Whether it was the playmaking of Evan Lang, the prodigious production of James Lynch and Shareef Amor or the outstanding goalkeeping of Gandhi Cruz, the Mustangs put on a great show.
Ironically, it was a shutout loss that provided the most memorable moment. With the DVC title hanging in the balance, the host Mustangs gave Naperville North all it could handle, surrendering only a Zach Smith penalty kick in a 1-0 defeat.
Following that game, Metea Valley coach Josh Robinson wanted to muster some outrage at the Huskies but couldn’t, instead riffing on the special bond of the brotherhood of men in the DVC coaching tree.
“First thing, congrats to Jim (Konrad) and Steve (Goletz) on wining the DVC,” Robinson said. “The most frustrating thing is how class of an act that they are all the time, so when they keep beating me and (assistant coach) Chris (Whaley) it’s frustrating because they are the best guys in the business.
“Yeah, you want to win, but at the same time the kids do it with class and (the coaches) do it with class. It’s almost aggravating.
“It’s like, ‘I wish you guys weren’t so darn nice and so darn good people because then I could be mad at you.'
“But we love playing against Jim. Their kids are great, and after the game these kids are hugging each other. They all know each other from the club team. It’s a good environment.”
Cruz, who is probably the best goalie in the state not named Tom Welch, posted an 0.98 goals-against average and seven shutouts and gave Metea a chance in every game.
He relishes the competitive environment the DVC offers.
“Every team likes to compete,” Cruz said. “Nobody likes to give in easy goals.
“(Teams) play hard. They all have a mindset of going to win every game, and that’s our mindset, too. Just playing in this conference is a great feeling.”
Cruz, Lang, Lynch and midfielder Matthew Berry were all-sectional picks for the Mustangs, while Amor was honorable mention all-conference. That quintet also was All-DVC, with Lynch leading the team in scoring with 14 goals and nine assists. Amor had 12 goals and seven assists, while Lang tallied 11 goals and 10 assists.
Naperville Central
DVC record: 2-1-1 (second place, tie)
Overall record: 6-8-4
Playoff result: lost to Neuqua Valley in regional semifinal
History indicates that the Redhawks suffered their first losing season since 2002. The main reason was a lack of offense and an inconsistent effort that at times was maddening for coach Troy Adams.
And yet, Naperville Central was the team that came the closest to beating Naperville North this season, holding the Huskies scoreless until Zach Smith scored on a header with 37 seconds left in their annual crosstown battle. Had the Redhawks won that game, they would have eliminated North from the DVC race.
Central actually finished second among DVC teams in goal differential in league games at plus-5, with the most impressive victory being a 4-0 road win over Neuqua Valley. How, then, to explain the fact that the Redhawks were shut out six times, including twice in DVC action?
“It was all over the place,” Adams said of the DVC slate. “What, three or four goals separated first to third? And that’s the way it happens a lot of times.”
While the offense lacked punch, Central’s defense was rock solid. Senior center backs Cameron Strang and Jake Crawford kept the Redhawks in every game, no matter the opponent. Six of the eight losses were by one goal and the other two, against traditional powers Notre Dame (Peoria) and Morton, were two-goal decisions.
Strang, who led the team in scoring with seven goals, earned IHSSCA All-State and All-DVC honors, while Crawford and junior midfielder Rohan Bhargava were All-Sectional and All-DVC.
“It was going to be an interesting group from the get-go,” Adams said. “We didn’t have a lot of returning attacking players. We knew there would be a lot of onus on the goalkeepers and Cam and Jake to lead us.
“What I’m going to take away from this season is the leadership we saw from Jake and Cam and the rest of the seniors. At the end of the day, that’s really what high school sports is about, teaching kids those leadership roles and teaching kids to compete.”
The Redhawks probably deserved a shot at competing for a regional championship, yet they were grouped in the same regional with Naperville North and Neuqua Valley. Naperville North coach Jim Konrad did not want to face the Redhawks again. In the end, he didn’t have to thanks to Neuqua Valley, which edged them in the regional semifinal.
“I feel bad for Cam and Jake and the other seniors that unfortunately they have to go out in the first round when they probably shouldn’t,” Adams said. “This is the problem with the IHSA not caring about soccer and how it’s seeded.
“The result didn’t go the way we wanted, but I was really happy with how the kids competed and the way the seniors led.”
Neuqua Valley
DVC record: 1-3-0 (fourth place)
Overall record: 8-8-2
Playoff result: lost to Naperville North in regional final
You are, as the saying goes, what your record says you are. So Neuqua Valley was a .500 team this year on paper.
How they got to that point was an interesting story. There was a head-scratching loss early to Manteno, followed by defeats against York and Naperville Central and a draw with Batavia.
Neuqua Valley avenged the 4-0 loss to Naperville Central by eliminating the Redhawks 2-1 in the regional semifinals.
After that playoff win, senior Tom Bludgen riffed on a how important a tough schedule, especially the competition provided by the DVC, is to a team looking to maximize its potential.
“The DVC has so many great players in it,” Bludgen said. “We’ve got players on North like Colin Iverson and Tommy Welch, and Cameron Strang on Central. Just playing them in games in conference really prepared ourselves for games like this.
“I wasn’t on the team last year, but our coach was telling us how we beat a team like 4-0, and they came back and beat us in the playoffs 3-1 or something. We were like, we were going to flip this around this year, and it’s going to be the other way around. We were preparing all week for this.”
Bludgen bagged the game-winning goal against the Redhawks in a match that should have been for a regional championship. It was only a semifinal because three DVC teams – Neuqua, Central and North – were grouped into the same regional, which was considered the toughest in the state.
“Our coach said we’re not the 10th seed,” Bludgen said. “We’ve got to show them that that’s not who we are, not where we deserved to be, and I think we proved that we can work hard and fight with some of these great players and great teams.”
Indeed, the Wildcats twice gave Naperville North all it could handle. In two matches against Neuqua, the Huskies scored four goals, all by Colin Iverson on headers off two throw-ins and two corner kicks.
The Wildcats and Huskies were scoreless for 63 minutes in the regional final before Iverson recorded a hat-trick in the next 11 minutes. Despite the loss, Neuqua co-captain David Kuhn had nothing but praise for the Huskies.
“I love Colin,” Kuhn said. “He’s a great guy; he has great character. He’s a really cool dude.
“I know all of them, and they’re a talented team. They work hard, and they work hard for each other. They play with a lot of heart out there. So did our boys. We played with a lot of heart, and we battled.”
Kuhn scored five goals, one fewer than team leader Jose Navarro, his fellow senior midfielder. Those two provided a terrific 1-2 punch in the middle of the field. Kuhn’s vocal leadership meshing perfectly with Navarro’s quieter, yet physical, presence.
Those two and senior defender Brandon Szabo were All-DVC picks and will be sorely missed. But there is still talent in the pipeline. Junior starters Jaison Chisnell and Mac Lehman will be back, as will a trio of freshmen in Jack Georgi, John Pochyly and Harshit Gupta, who all gained valuable experience as rookies. Pochyly had the biggest moment, scoring the buzzer-beater to give the Wildcats their only DVC win, a 3-2 decision against Waubonsie Valley.
Waunonsie Valley
DVC record: 0-4-0 (5th place)
Overall record: 4-13-1
Playoff result: lost to Oswego in regional semifinal
The Warriors took some lumps early, getting off to a 1-10-1 start with a junior-heavy starting lineup. But they saved their best for last, winning three of their next five games, including a 1-0 overtime win over Plainfield Central in their playoff opener, before bowing out with a 5-2 loss to third-seeded Oswego.
“We played well at the end, which is great because it gives us something to look forward to in the future,” Waubonsie Valley coach Jose Garcia said. “We lost to Oswego, but they have a great team.”
The Warriors' talent indicates they are better than their record showed. The schedule was pockmarked with great teams, including their DVC counterparts. Garcia, in fact, would rather finish last in a tough league than first in a loop full of cream puffs.
“I was a little bit worried when I heard there was only going to be five of us playing (in the league),” Garcia said. “But in the end I think it worked out fine.
“We played really the top teams in the state. This is definitely the toughest group that there is in this area, so to be at the bottom of that group is not too shabby.”
Aside from a 5-0 loss to Naperville North in their league opener, the Warriors actually acquitted themselves well, testing Naperville Central and Metea Valley in two-goal losses before ending the league slate with a 3-2 loss to Neuqua Valley on a rare buzzer-beater.
“That’s kind of how the whole season went,” Garcia said. “It was a little bit of luck, and sometimes it worked our way, and sometimes it didn’t fall into our hands.
“But in the end, I liked the product we produced. Hopefully we can continue that next year, because that big junior group is going to come back next year.”
That group is led by the appropriately named Noah Glorioso. The junior midfielder proved to be a consummate leader for a young team that did not return any other varsity starters. Glorioso led the team with six goals, including both in a 2-1 win over Batavia, which went on to win a regional championship as the 16th seed in the sectional.
Glorioso, defender Ryan Sanchez and midfielder Dan Fritz all-earned all-sectional honors. Glorioso was All-DV and Sanchez honorable mention All-DVC.