Boys soccer: Supersectional scouting, Northwest
Boys soccer / Supersectional scouting
Class 3A Barrington supersectionalWhere: at Barrington Community Stadium, 616 W. Main Street, Barrington.
Lake Park (20-1-4) vs. Streamwood (16-5-2), 4:30 p.m.
Storyline: Nobody would have figured on a matchup such as this, especially with heavily favored top seed St. Charles East heading up this sectional. But when No. 8 West Chicago upended the state ranked Saints, it opened the door for others, particularly Streamwood, which now enjoys its first-ever SS appearance in program history after sending off highly regarded Rockford Boylan (2-1) last Saturday to capture its first sectional crown also.
Lake Park made it to the supersectional last year, eventually coming away with a fourth-place finish and the first state trophy in program history. The Lancers withstood a heart-stopping sudden-death PK victory over Rolling Meadows last Saturday to keep its hopes alive of a return trip to the 3A tournament.
Advancement: The winner advances to play the Normal supersectional champion (Normal or Thornton) at 5 p.m. Friday in the state tournament at Hoffman Estates High School.
Fremd (18-5-1) vs. New Trier (22-3-2), 6:30 p.m.
Storyline: A loss during the first week of the season to the Trevians doesn't mean much now as Fremd coach Steve Keller's club looks to advance to the finals for the first time since 2011. "Our defense has been steady and strong all year long, and even though we weren't at our best against Highland Park last Friday night, that unit has been the strength of our team, especially early on when we were still sorting out our lineup and the way that would eventually play," Keller said. "With that said, they are very intense, aggressive and tenacious, so we need to match these traits they bring to the game or it could be a long night for us."
The Vikings' back line has been air-tight during the stretch run, and its midfield play has been well organized despite the bustling energy and highly technical football seen from its last two sectional opponents, Libertyville and Highland Park. The all-star cast of Tomas Peleckas, Ben Borst, Danny Burton and Luke Kosacz have conceded just one goal since Oct. 2. As often is the case at this time of the season, the goalkeeper is called upon to make big saves at big moments, and the senior Will Lefevre has been magnificent when forced into action. Forwards Ben Poder and Zach and Luke Schoffstall have received plenty of heavy-handed treatment from opponents, but the trio has continually delivered in the final third.
Advancement: The winner advances to play the Lewis University supersectional winner (Naperville North or Hinsdale Central) at 7 p.m. Friday in the state tournament semifinals at Hoffman Estates
Class 2A Stevenson supersectionalWhere: Stevenson High School, One Stevenson Drive, Lincolnshire
St. Viator (20-5-1) vs. Chicago Foreman (6-6-4), 6:30 p.m.
Storyline: This will be St. Viator's first postseason matchup against a lower-seeded team. The No. 10 Hornets defeated the Nos. 8 and 2 seeds at their regional before stunning No. 1 Elmwood Park in OT to win that sectional and gain a berth opposite the No. 5 Lions.
"We used our low seed as a little extra bit of motivation when playing all those teams ranked ahead of us, and with each win during the tournament, we put another higher seed out," said St. Viator coach Mike Taylor.
In a terrific bit of trivia, the last time St. Viator played Foreman was in the third-place match during the 1996 state tournament, the last year of single-class play. The Lions won 2-0 back in the Nino DaSilva-Jarrett Payton days, when that spectacular scoring duo combined for over 80 goals.
This year, with its strength of schedule, experience, and the strike force of Zach Gyuricza and Aidan Williams (35 goals combined), it seems likely the Lions will advance.
"We had a chance to get out to see Foreman, and they have some individual talent that we'll have to keep an eye on, but as I've been saying, we're coming together at the right time, and playing the system we've put in place," said Taylor. "If we continue doing so in this game, we'll be playing this weekend at the state tournament."
The Hornets' coach, Dan Hakimian, was an all-state player at Glenbrook North in 1982 and a member of the state runner-up Spartans the year before under coach Mike Radakovich. Sophomore Omar Jaimes leads Foreman with 13 goals.
Advancement: The winner advances to play the Lemont supersectional champ (St. Joseph or Marian Catholic) at 3 p.m. Friday in the Class 2A state tournament in Hoffman Estates.
- Mike Garofola