Northwest/Scouting the girls soccer Class 3A postesason
By Mike Garofola
Daily Herald Correspondent
Neuqua Valley, the nation’s top-ranked girls soccer team, is favored to win the Class 3A title in early June. But area teams competing in four sectional venues will begin the quest to earn a shot at the mighty Wildcats in the state finals. Here’s a postseason preview.
Evanston sectional
Top four seeds: Loyola, New Trier, Maine South, Evanston.
Outlook: This sectional may have two nationally ranked clubs — Loyola and New Trier — according to the Powerade Fab 50 website, but what does it say about the depth of the 20-team field when No. 5 Lane Tech (16-3-1) wins its second straight Chicago Public League title after outscoring opponents 140-3 this spring? Loyola (20-0-3) makes up for a lack of depth with a lengthy resume of achievements that validate its top seed — including the team title at the Pepsi Showdown, all-time scoring leader Laura Gardner and record-setting all-state keeper Carly Stevens, who recently recorded her 50th career shutout.
No. 8 Maine West (8-13-2) plays No. 9 Leyden for the right to face host Loyola in the regional final Friday. Always optimistic Warriors coach Mike DiVincenzo said. “We didn’t finish up the way I would have liked us to with losses to Glenbrook North and Highland Park, but I feel with us playing in five (1-goal) matches this season, we’ve been tested pretty well for what’s ahead of us. We beat (Leyden) 2-0 early in the year, but they’ve got three very skilled players that can run and score, so we’ll have to play great defense in order to advance.”
Advancement: The champion meets the St. Charles East sectional champion in the Elk Grove supersectional.
Glenbrook South sectional
Top four seeds: Fremd (13-3-2), Lake Forest (13-4-4), Glenbrook North (16-4-2), Hersey (14-5-1).
Outlook: If you think the top seeds are going to stroll through the competition in the early going, just ask two coaches whose clubs are riding high. “This sectional is loaded, and with all of the great coaching staffs, keepers, defenders and strikers with flair, this group is just a minefield and one that can produce plenty of surprises before it’s done,” said Glenbrook South coach Seong Ha, whose Titans (16-5-3) have recorded 12 straight shutouts down the stretch. Hersey coach Brad Abel has had little time to enjoy the Huskies’ MSL Cup victory over Conant. “From top to bottom, this is a very difficult sectional to be in, and one that if you aren’t careful, can be a short visit to,” said Abel, who can’t believe Palatine (11-9-2) is the No. 13 seed and the Huskies’ opponent today. Danger lurks when any of this quartet (including Glenbrook South) is lined up across the midline from you. No. 8 St. Viator (11-8-1) has been up and down all season, but its difficult nonconference schedule makes it a scary opponent — as does East Suburban Catholic rival and No. 10 Carmel (11-5-3), which is5-1-1 in its last seven matches with 3 straight shutouts. Not to be overlooked is No. 14 Mundelein (13-6-1) featuring the area’s overall top scorer in Ashley Begrowicz (24 goals, 10 assists). Other talented players include Fremd all-state candidate Elise Kotsakis (26 goals) and the Lake Forest rookie duo of Ginny McGowan and Lucy Edwards.
Advancement: Champion meets the Jacobs sectional champion in the Barrington supersectional.
Jacobs sectional
Top four seeds: Barrington (13-6-1), Huntley (17-1-1), Crystal Lake South (15-7-2), Rockton Hononegah (17-1-2).
Outlook: This sectional is filled with a sensational cast of scorers, as no less than seven players can be found in the Top 20 in the Daily Herald area statistics. Emily Hyde and Molly Pfeiffer (Barrington), Aimee Wronski (Huntley) Kali Loescher (Crystal Lake South), Vanessa Abad (Lake Zurich) and the Jacobs duo of Cassidy Sherman and Lauren Grady have combined for 93 goals and 61 assists. The cream of the Fox Valley Conference crop is here in Huntley, Crystal Lake South, Jacobs and Cary-Grove. Huntley comes in as the FVC Valley champion over CL South, which enters the tournament on a five-match winning streak during which it outscored opponents 20-2. One of the most interesting early matches will be Jacobs (19-6-0) and Cary-Grove on Wednesday in Barrington. The Golden Eagles lost 2-0 on the road to the Trojans in the second week of the season, but have been on a steady rise since. “We just need to get over that mental hurdle of realizing we’re a very good team, and that we can play with anyone out there, and if we can do that, we’ll be able to reach our goal of playing in our own sectional in another week,” said Jacobs coach Anthony Cappello. Barrington coach Ryan Stengren is wary of every club in this field, but behind his dynamic duo of Hyde and Pfeiffer, the Fillies look to move on. “You have to respect everyone right now, because it doesn’t take much for you to be on the losing end of a match,” said Stengren, who has one of the top keepers in senior Kelly Pedersen (11 shutouts). Honenegah’s lone defeat of the year was 1-0 to Elk Grove.
Advancement: Champion meets the Glenbrook South sectional champion in the Barrington supersectional.
St. Charles East sectional
Top four seeds: Conant (15-3-2), Schaumburg (15-2-2), St. Charles North (11-3-1), Geneva (10-5-4).
Outlook: Top-seeded Conant enters the tournament with a chip on its shoulder after ending the season with 2 straight defeats, including 2-1 to Hersey at the MSL Soccer Cup. No. 5 Elk Grove (9-6-5) is finally at full strength, but Grens coach Dan Klaus has cause for concern in his tourney opener against No. 13 Bartlett (11-6-4). “Two ties with Fremd and a win over Barrington in our last three matches feels good right now, but Bartlett is hardly a first-round slouch and we had better take them seriously,” said Klaus, whose club has 1 loss in its last eight matches. No. 4 Geneva, although young, has shown it can compete with the best after advancing into the last four of the Naperville Invite. MSL West Division rivals Conant and Schaumburg could be on course to meet in the sectional final. “Our sectional is going to be very tough and we’ve got a very difficult opener with West Chicago, who we beat the first time but in a game which got a little nasty and physical,” said Schaumburg coach Greg Chavrat. “I still believe Conant is the best team and for us, we need to clean some things up before West Chicago and we need to take advantage of our chances.” The Saxons have lost three straight to Conant, including 2-1 last season in the 107th minute of the sectional semifinals.
Advancement: Champion meets the Evanston sectional champion in the Elk Grove supersectional.