Boys soccer / State tournament scouting, Northwest

Boys soccer / State tournament scouting

Where: Hoffman Estates High School

Friday: Class 2A semis and 1 and 3 p.m.; Class 3A semis at 5 and 7 p.m.

Saturday: Class 2A third-place match match at 11 a.m., final at 1 p.m. Classw 3A third-place match at 5 p.m., final at 7 p.m.

Local focus: Fremd and St. Viator both have a rich history in the state tournament.

The Mid-Suburban League champs have made nine trips to the finals, with five ending with trophies, most recently in 2011. After winning an East Suburban Catholic Conference crown on the final day of the regular season, St. Viator has been riding high in a ninth visit to sate after a nearly flawless postseason.

Class 2A semifinalsSt. Viator (21-5-1) vs. St. Joseph (22-0-1), 3 p.m. Friday

There's plenty of history between these two long-time rivals, who went face-to-face in several key contests while St. Joe was a member of the ESCC also and during the postseason, when on most occasions, Mike Taylor's club was able to oust the Chargers. The most recent meetings occurred at the state finals, when, in 2001, the Lions ended the hopes of a trophy for then head coach Ray Fligel with a 2-1 decision. Three years later the Lions beat their nemesis 2-1 in the third-place match.

"We go way back with Joe's," said Taylor, who jetted back from a business trip in California for Tuesday's supersectional, then back again to finish things up before returning for the tournament opener. "Obviously, this is a game that we've been looking at for quite some time, and for us, you have to go through one of the best to become the best. And what's better than playing an old, old rival who also happens to come here undefeated?"

Taylor, who earlier in the season got his 500th career victory, figures an airing-out after a disappointing loss to Marian Central Catholic in the regular season might have been exactly what his team needed.

"We played poorly that day, with Zach (Gyuricza, 17 goals) not playing that day, and a lot of the guys were upset with each other, and me as well, we were at a low spot," Taylor said. "We told the guys there wouldn't be any practice the next day, but to a man, everyone still wanted to train. Mike Manno (Taylor's assistant) met with the team, and he told them in no uncertain terms that, 'You know how Taylor is, and he's not going to change, so all of you had better do so, or the season might be lost.' "

"We've got some strong personalities on this team, including Zach and Aidan (Williams, 19 goals) but those two have come around and have played so well and within our system, and the rest of the guys have followed suit, and now we're where I felt all along that we belong."

"We were mad at ourselves, each other, and even (Taylor) after that Marian loss," said St. Viator's Chris Beiersdorf (10 assists), a key figure along the back for the Lions. "But after that day off it was like a new beginning, a fresh start for all us. And since then, we've been a great run. There's a very good chemistry among all us, most of us hang out together, and we're thrilled to be playing on the last weekend of the season."

Taylor hopes all the challenges his team has endured has helped prepared it for the state finals.

"The team has really come together and matured as a group, and I feel our early season schedule, which was filled with a lot of quality opponents, helped show us our faults and weaknesses," he said. "We've tweaked and switched a few things around in order to get ready for the second half of the season.

"There's a lot of tradition with St. Viator soccer. Our goal every year is to get to the state tournament, and that road sometimes can be a very difficult one. But the guys have done well, even when it's gotten a little rough, and I've been very tough on them."

The Chargers, under seventh-year coach Stan Niemiec, are led by two-time all-state midfielder Anthony Gulli (9 goals, 12 assists), and the duo of Eduardo Gutierrez and Victor Moreno, who have combined for 32 and 19.

Wheaton Academy (23-1-1) vs. Springfield (25-3-0), 1 p.m.

The Warriors have been at, or near the top of the Class 2A polls all season long, and why not?

They have an all-state star striker in Ty Seager (36 goals), plenty of success against a 3A-laden schedule, and a first-class coach in Jeff Brooke, who has led his club to a third consecutive state appearance and the seventh in program history.The Warriors would see off perhaps the No. 2 team in the state, Peoria Notre Dame on Tuesday, with a 3-2 OT victory at Lewis University in order to make the state field and hope to improve upon back-to-back fourth-place state finishes.

Some late dramatics set the Senators north when sophomore Logan Willard stunned Rochester in the 78th minute with his 38th of the year to erase a 17-year state tournament drought.

Class 3A semifinals

Fremd (19-5-1) vs. Hinsdale Central (17-4-4), 7 p.m. Friday

The Vikings, as ever, are getting the job done in the playoffs. Their workmanlike 1-0 win against highly regarded New Trier Tuesday at Barrington Community Stadium displayed all Fremd's qualities, from attacking variety, defensive strength, spectacular goalkeeping and match-hardened players who are unlikely to be easily unsettled.

"A lot of that has to do with coach Keller," says Fremd senior Zach Schoffstall (6 goals, 16 assists) who wears the captain's armband along with teammates Tomas Peleckas and Ben Borst. "Regardless of how we do during the regular season, he always has us ready to go for the postseason, and I am not sure how he does it, but he is so good at getting us to play at a higher level when it really counts."

The all-area midfield choice says despite a less than sparkling first part of the season (the Vikings were 1-3-0, and 7-5-0 at one point) after a rugged nonconference and tournament schedule, Keller and assistant Gerardo Pagnani put all the pieces together. Since a tough 1-0 loss at Schaumburg, Schoffstall and his mates have gone 12-0-1.

The Vikings have a wonderful mix of talent: powerful central defenders Peleckas and Borst, the multi-talented Schoffstall with Jacob Cuthbert alongside, and up top, where they can call on leading scorer Ben Poder (12 goals) and his partner, sophomore Luke Schoffstall (9 goals).

"Not to mention Will Lefevre, whose been amazing during the playoffs," adds Zach Schoffstall.

Indeed, Lefevre has 9 shutouts during that 12-0-1 run, including three straight against Libertyville, Highland Park and New Trier.

The Vikings began their turnaround by defeating Hinsdale Central 1-0 for the title of the Peoria Notre Dame Invite, played at Bradley University's Shea Stadium back on Sept. 13.

"It will be tough playing a good friend like Wiggy (coach Michael Wiggins) in our state opener, both of us would rather play someone else," said Keller. "It's been a dog fight for us during our last three playoffs games, but we've come through because of our work rate and by doing the little things. At this time of the year, it can be that simple - with a little bit of good luck as well."

Hinsdale Central keeper Wes Bergevin has had back-to-back sensational outings during shootout victories over Morton and Naperville North to help the Red Devils gain a second state appearance under Wiggins, who is nearing 300 career wins.

All-stater Evan Floersch leads stingy Red Devils back line, which has helped Bergevin break Central's all-time record of shutouts (25). He got No. 15 of the season in the supersectional against Naperville North.

"Fremd got a well-deserved 1-0 victory in Peoria, but we learned a lot from that match," said Wiggins. "We took some things from that game, and became better as a result of it, and it's the very reason you have an opponent like Fremd on your schedule. They will be well prepared for us, and it's no surprise to me where they stand at this point in the season."

Normal Community (22-0-2) vs. Streamwood (17-5-1), 5 p.m.

This Class 3A matchup features the favorite versus the upstart.

Nationally ranked Normal further enhanced its supremacy after its 2-1 victory over reigning state champion Edwardsville last Saturday in its sectional final before cruising past Thornton 4-0 in the supersectional to earn its first-ever trip to the finals. All-state stiker Eddie Plesha could go over 40 goals this weekend, and the high-scoring Ironmen are air-tight along the back, conceding just 6 goals in 24 matches.

The Sabres have their own prize package in senior Alan Camarena (24 goals), who fired in the game-winner against with a superb long free -kick to give send coach Matt Polovin's team into the state tourney for the first time.

"This is what makes it all worthwhile," said Polovin, a 1994 Fremd grad who played for Gerardo Pagnani in 1993 when the Vikings were state runners-up. "Coach (Pagnani) was a big reason for me to get into coaching, and to be here when Fremd is here as well really means a lot to me."

The Sabres can possess and attack with the best of them, but Polovin is most proud of how his club has defended this fall, particularly during the postseason, where just 2 goals have gotten past keeper Sergio Blanco.

"They have been relentless back there, and they play with a lot of desire, and pride, and never stop working as a group," Polovin said.

- Mike Garofola