Scouting Fox Valley boys soccer regionals
Class 3A Barrington supersectional
Barrington sectional
Rockford Boylan regional
Matchups: Boylan (1) vs. Jefferson (4), today at 5 p.m.; Hononegah (2) vs. Harlem (3), today at 7 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Outlook: Boylan (18-1-3) clinched its third NIC-10 title in five seasons last Friday with a 4-1 victory over Hononegah (14-2-3).
Rockford Guilford regional
Matchups: Larkin (1) vs. Elgin (5), today at 7 p.m.; South Elgin (2) vs. DeKalb (3), Wednesday at 7 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Outlook: The rematch is on. Last season, Larkin emerged as the surprise team of the postseason, a run that began when the Royals defeated rival Elgin in four overtimes to win a regional title. The Maroons took a measure of revenge two weeks ago with 2-1 victory in Upstate Eight Conference play. Can Larkin (14-7-1) recapture its postseason magic? “Well, we're hoping, Larkin coach Ken Hall said. “We're hoping to go a little bit further, too. I think our players will have a little added incentive, seeing as (Elgin) beat us. Hopefully, we're prepared. If we're thinking about it as a rivalry as opposed to doing well in the playoffs, we've got the wrong mindset. We need to be thinking playoffs and that's it. The Royals are led in scoring by sophomore forward Erik Rodriguez (19 goals, 11 assists). Defensive center midfielder Tony Hernandez and sweeper Alex Sanchez will be key players in Larkin's bid to repeat as regional champion. Elgin (7-15-1) is playing its best soccer of the season. The Maroons have won 5 of their last 8 matches since junior defender Carlos Moreno returned to the lineup. South Elgin (9-5-2), which recently won the Hampshire Tournament and defeated Bartlett 2-0, has won 5 of its last 6 outings. South Elgin did not play Larkin or Elgin during the regular season.
Grant regional
Matchups: Round Lake (1) vs. Dundee-Crown (5), today at 4:30 p.m.; Barrington (2) vs. Cary-Grove (3), today at 6:15 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Outlook: Cary-Grove is on quite a roll. The Trojans (14-2-1) have won 13 straight matches since a 1-2-1 start. Led up top by forwards Jon Guay and Evan Baker and solidified in back by goalkeeper Tom Breen, Cary-Grove seeks its seventh regional title overall and first since 2004.
Jacobs regional
Matchups: Crystal Lake South (1) vs. McHenry (5), today at 4:30 p.m.; Jacobs (2) vs. Huntley (3), today at 7 p.m.; title match, Friday at 5 p.m.
Outlook: Crystal Lake South (19-1-2) finished undefeated and untied in the Fox Valley Conference for the first time in school history (12-0). The Gators are led by scorer extraordinaire Charlie Oliver (26 goals, 9 assists). He's supported by Alex Tapia (8-8). CL South's fortunes could rest on the success of its midfielders: Sam Murdock, Brian Carp, Trevor Bittenbender and Mike Hernandez. “We'll pretty much go as they go, Gators coach Brian Allen said. “If they live up to their potential, that will make all the difference on the attacking side of the ball and defensively. CL South goalkeeper Dave Walsh has 15 shutouts this seasons. The Gators beat McHenry 1-0 on Oct. 5 and beat Jacobs 1-0 on a penalty kick in overtime on Sept. 28. Jacobs (16-5-0) finished tied with Cary-Grove for second place in the FVC (10-2). The Golden Eagles are led by Matt Ehrhardt (13 goals, 4 assists) and Taylor Pignataro (7-7). Goalkeeper A.J. Pfatschbacher has 11 shutouts this season. “I think our guys know they can play with everybody, Jacobs coach Anthony Cappello said. “We have a real quality group of seniors and all five of our losses were by one goal, with three of them in overtime. Huntley (10-10-1) has come on strong in the second half of the season and boasts one of the best goalkeepers in the regional in senior Kevin Montelongo.
Schaumburg sectional
Lake Park regional
Matchups: Lake Park (4) vs. York (13), today at 5 p.m.; Geneva (5) vs. Rolling Meadows (12), today at 7 p.m.; title match, Friday at 6 p.m.
Outlook: Lake Park seeks its ninth regional title and first since 2007. Geneva seeks its seventh regional title and fifth straight.
Glenbard North regional
Matchups: Leyden (1) vs. Schaumburg (16), today at 4:30 p.m.; St. Charles East (8) vs. Glenbard North (9), today at 6:30 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Outlook: Leyden is the top overall seed of the 20 schools assigned to the Schaumburg sectional.
St. Charles North regional
Matchups: St. Charles North (2) vs. Wheaton North (18), Wednesday at 5 p.m.; Bartlett (7) vs. Addison Trail (10), Wednesday at 7 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Outlook: Bartlett (11-6-3) enters regional play at full strength, thanks to the return of leading scorer Andrew Triantos and sweeper Joey Morgan. Triantos missed 3 matches with a swollen ankle but still leads the balanced Hawks in scoring with 8 goals. Morgan joins defensive captain Brett Dini to form a strong backfield. Dini has 4 goals himself. The Hawks played the host North Stars to a 2-2 draw earlier this season at Millennium Field. “It'll come down to which team plays their best game throughout the regional, Bartlett coach Ben Beary said. “We know we have to play our best to move on. Our margin of error is small, but we also know that when we're on we're very difficult to beat. We've been working on some offensive tactics that we feel are beginning to pay dividends in games. We'll be giving the defenses we play a lot of headaches. The Hawks did not play Addison Trail this season.
Elk Grove Village regional
Matchups: Elk Grove Village (3) vs. Glenbard East (14), today at 4 p.m.; Conant (6) vs. Proviso West (11), today at 6:30 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 2 p.m.
Outlook: Glenbard East beat Willowbrook in 4 overtimes to advance to today's semifinal. Top seed Elk Grove lost the Mid Suburban League Cup to Fremd last week.
Class 2A
Belvidere sectional
Burlington Central regional
Matchups: Burlington Central (1) vs. IMSA (4), Wednesday at 5 p.m.; Marmion (2) vs. Aurora Central Catholic (3), Wednesday at 7 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 7 p.m.
Outlook: Burlington Central (15-4-3) acheived its first goal for this season when the Rockets wrapped up the Big Northern East title last week with a 4-1 victory at Hampshire. Now comes the main goal: winning the school's first regional title. Led by defensive center midfielder Kyle Reopelle (6 goals, 5 assists) and leading scorers Chris Gousios (19-4), Alexis Camarena (12-8) and Alejandro Nava (13 assists), the Rockets hope to make history. If seeds hold, they would face Marmion, a side they tied 2-2 at the St. Charles East Tournament. “Marmion would be a nice test for us for the regional title, Central coach Mike Gecan said. “It would be a great day at Central because we've never won a regional. We'd like to see how far we can go. Marmion is a very competitive 2A team. Either of us that advances could continue to compete for a while. The regional is the goal, but it's not the end. It could be just the beginning for us because we're capable of playing against some of the better teams in the state.
Lakes sectional
Hampshire regional
Matchups: Marian Central (1) vs. Woodstock (4), today at 4:30 p.m.; Hampshire (2) vs. Marengo (3), today at 7 p.m.; title match, Saturday at 5 p.m.
Outlook: Hampshire (14-6-1) fell short of winning the Big Northern East after staying in the race until the end. The Whip-Purs open with a rematch against Marengo, a BNE team they've beaten 5-1 and 7-2 this season. The last match between these teams devolved into fisticuffs with multiple red cards issued. A victory would give Hampshire a shot to upset Marian Central (21-2-0) for the regional title. “We've been keeping an eye on them the last couple of weeks, Hampshire coach John Gosling said of the Hurricanes. “They have a great record and they come from a conference a lot like ours. It might be a team we match up with. We see some deficiencies in their game and we see who their strong players are. But we're anxious about (today's) game first. Ishmael Morales (23 goals, 16 assists) leads the Whip-Purs. Class 1A
Class 1A Westminster Christian regional
Matchup: Westminster Christian (1) vs. North Shore Country Day (2) for the regional title, today at 4 p.m.
Outlook: Westminster Christian (10-6-1) plays for its second straight Class 1A regional title on home soil. The Warriors were seeded No. 2 last season when they upset Harvard for their first regional plaque. The top-seeded Warriors hope to avoid the same fate at the hands of No. 2 North Shore Country Day. “They're a good team and that's why they're the No. 2 seed, Warriors coach Mike Richardson said of North Shore. “We're going to try to match up our best players on their best players and see what happens. Basically, what we need is for every player to play well for us to be successful . Josh Beachler has surpassed the 30-goal plateau for Westminster Christian.