Boys soccer: Postseason scouting, Northwest
Playoff campaigns have their own narratives and mythologies, frequently distinct from most of the regular-season results that helped shape them.
A handful of boys soccer teams chug along beneath the red line, then surprise with a breakout final few weeks of the season, while others ride the momentum of a glorious league and nonconference year and never look back.
What will we see during these next three weeks of the 2017 season is anyone's guess but it promises to be an exciting, whatever the outcome.
Let's take a look at the four sectionals where area clubs will begin play this Tuesday:
Class 3A Conant sectionalTop 4 seeds (in order): St. Charles North (10-2-4), Lake Park (9-7-3), York (11-8-1), Glenbard West (10-8-0).
Background: There are no truly dominant teams in this sectional as there were a year ago, when the top four clubs carried an outstanding 63-9-8 overall record combined.
It proved to be the perfect storm for Conant, which came in just a couple of games over .500 and proceded to send off one top club after another on the way to earning a fourth-place trophy in the 3A state tournament.
Can the No. 5 seed Cougars (8-10-1) get on another roll and surprise the soccer galaxy, or least the 19 teams in its sectional, once more?
"We've struggled to be consistent, and that's something you need to be at this time of the year," said Conant coach Jason Franco. "It still comes down to who's playing well right now. Can just about anyone advance out of this sectional? Yes, and that's why I believe this year, it will be wide open, with maybe St. Charles North having a slight advantage if it can get past St. Charles East."
A quick glance at results from the season for the top 7-8 seeds offers no clue as to who has the advantage. Most of the favored clubs have had a mixed bag of results, and none is a clear choice above the others.
The North Stars won the PepsiCo Showdown over highly rated Waukegan, but since then they've gone 2-1-2, with that one defeat coming at the hands of crosstown rival East 3-0.
During that same span, seeds 2-4 (Lake Park, York and Glenbard West) have finished up with a dreary 5-8-2, making No. 9 Benet Academy (11-6-1) perhaps the team to watch as it enters the tournament on a nine-game unbeaten streak.
Advancement: The Conant sectional winner advances to a TBA supersectional site on Tuesday, Oct. against the Streamwood sectional champ.
Class 3A Fremd sectionalTop 4 seeds (in order): Libertyville (14-0-2), Waukegan (13-2-2), Barrington (17-3-1), Wheeling (12-5-1).
Background: Both Libertyville and Waukegan put together impressive campaigns this fall.
Both are nationally ranked, while Libertyville is the top-rated club in the state and Waukegan is fourth. Barrington, which prevailed in PK's last week to win the MSL crown, has done well for itself after losing so many key players from its 2016 state runner-up team. But coach Scott Steib's team may have to make a go of it without second-leading scorer Michael Blanke, who suffered an injury against Buffalo Grove in the MSL Soccer Cup and remains doubtful in the playoffs.
"Our depth isn't what it was last year, but we've had a handful of newcomers come in to give us quality play with terrific effort, so we'll see how it goes in the playoffs," said Steib.
This sectional is perhaps the deepest of all three in the area, with several team capable of navigating a path into the sectional final.
Fifth seed Buffalo Grove will cherish a season which featured an MSL final appearance (the Bison fell to Barrington in PKs). With their ability to defend and turn in a high work rate, the Bison can put together a long run. Likewise with No. 4 seed Wheeling, which can attack and score with the best of them and should have a chip on its shoulder after a runner-up finish to BG in the MSL East.
Eleventh seed Fremd (12-8-0) is perhaps the most dangerous side in this high-profile sectional. When coach Steve Keller won his 250th career victory for the boys program two weekends ago, it marked the ninth win in 10 games for the Vikings, and seventh shutout during that streak.
After struggling in the first half of the season, the Vikings found their form thanks in part to a variety of reasons: defense, organization, physical play and some timely firepower when needed led by veterans Matt Austin and Max Clark.
"We finally figured things out once we found the right spots for everyone and our roles were defined, so now we know we can compete with the best," Austin said recently. "But we've got to out and play well right from the start to do so."
The senior was named MSL West player of the year during the half-time festivities at the MSL Soccer Cup last Thursday.
Despite the upbeat news, Austin and his teammates have tough road to a sectional final. First it's ESCC co-champ Carmel, then a likely matchup against Waukegan before a probable sectional semifinal with league rival Barrington.
Advancement: The Fremd sectional winner advances to Barrington supersectional on Tuesday, Oct. 31 (6:30 p.m.) and will face the New Trier sectional champ.
Class 3A New Trier sectionalTop 4 seeds (in order): Glenbrook North (15-3-1), New Trier (16-3-0), Evanston (12-3-4), Leyden (15-3-2).
Background: Things began well this season and have finished even better for top seeds Glenbrook North and New Trier. GBN defeated the Trevians during the midway point of the season 1-0 before New Trier coach Matt Ravenscraft's team came back two weeks ago to beat the Spartans 3-1 in the CSL championship match.
"Experience has taught me to never count out anyone from the CSL," said Ravenscraft. "Our conference is very strong right now, and the right combination of form and fitness could send anyone of our teams from the CSL into the sectional final and beyond. With that said, we're a little banged up, as most teams are. But we've been sharp during our training sessions, our chemistry continues to build, and with some terrific performances from Will Felitto, JoJo Farina and Riles Walsh, we were able to play our best soccer of the year against GBN."
Third seed Evanston may have been given the benefit of the doubt from its strong postseason performance a year ago, And impressive displays all season long make No. 4 Leyden one to watch during the next two weeks.
True, the Eagles lost to its longtime rival Morton in PKs which decided the West Suburban Gold. But coach Mark Valintis' bunch has a powerhouse duo up top (Eduardo Hernandez and Francisco Toral) along with quality and quantity at midfield to go with a first-class defender (Daniel Kulawiak) and an equally talented keeper (David Duwal).
"We're finally getting our legs back after playing 8 games in a 15-day stretch, and we've got a couple of injuries we need to keep an eye on," said Valintis. "But we feel very comfortable with our depth and versatility, which should allow us to be a dangerous team going forward while still remaining solid in the back. At the time of seeding, 15 of the 19 teams were at .500 or better. While this is a deep sectional in my opinion, most of teams here are from the same conference. So when you play that team for the second or third time in a season, the games are much tighter under the 'lose and you're done' threat. With that said, I can tell you we're not looking past any game or opponent, because the ability for anyone to rise up to beat you is a reality."
Advancement: The New Trier sectional winner advances to the Barrington supersectional on Tuesday, Oct. 31 (6:30 p.m.) to play the Fremd sectional champion.
Class 2A Grayslake Central sectionalTop 4 seeds (in order): Prairie Ridge (17-2-0), Woodstock (20-1-0), Lakes (12-6-0), Belvidere North (13-7-0).
Background: You would be hard pressed to remember the last time a St. Viator soccer club entered the postseason with a sub-500 overall record, plus a No. 4 seed in a sub-sectional.
"I don't ever remember a record like we have right now," said Lions coach Mike Taylor, whose Lions open play against Wauconda at the Vernon Hills regional venue with a 6-14-2 mark. "We haven't played well, only in a few spots here and there. But if we come out and play the way we did on Friday against Benet, we're going to be a very difficult team to play in the tournament, and not one that I'd want to be playing at this time of the year."
Taylor says his men played with more urgency, fight and purpose than he's seen in this year against ESCC co-champion Benet, which prevailed 2-0.
Top seed Prairie Ridge is a strong team with many talented players, including the duo of Matthew King and Nick Marconi. They've combined for nearly 35 goals between during the Wolves' impressive run.
Lakes coach Kevin Kullby feels his team can get earn a spot in the sectional final at Grayslake Central.
"If all goes to plan, we should play Boylan or Woodstock, who is the surprise team of our sectional with its 20-0 record," Kullby said. "Looking at how our defense has played of late, and with what we can do on set-piece chances and have with our goal-keeping, attitude and teamwork, we can get get there."
Advancement: The Grayslake Central sectional winner advances to the Fremd supersectional on Tuesday, Oct. 31 (7 p.m.) to play the Fenton sectional champion.
- Mike Garofola