The DuPage County boys soccer All-Area team

Angel Barriga, Fenton

Possessing excellent dribbling skills and the outstanding ability to possess himself or share and create for his teammates, the junior was the top player for the Bison. "Angel is our best player. He is our leader in the midfield," Fenton coach Jim Johns said. The Bison only won five games in the regular season but were far better than their record indicated. Barriga had a lot to do with that. He had 9 goals heading into the postseason.

Peter Becht, Downers Grove South

Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton won his 200th game this year, so he's obviously coached some good players. This senior ranks highly. "Peter is one of the best players I have had the opportunity to coach," Stapleton said. The combination of excellent decision-making and his ability to handle the ball at his feet helped the Mustangs create scoring chances. Plus, he controlled the midfield, constantly winning balls in the air. He had 13 goals and 3 assists during the regular season.

Lorenzo Costa, Lake Park

The Lancers started slowly and came on strong under this senior's leadership. "He is the glue in the midfield and our attack builds mostly though him," Lake Park coach Sean Crosby said. "On top of his active movement in the midfield and ability distributing, he also gives us a defensive presence with his physical play and gets involved in many goal scoring chances." He led the Lancers with 9 goals and added 5 assists.

Colin Iverson, Naperville North

This 6-foot-3 sophomore caused all sorts of problems for opponents during set plays as he simply overwhelmed teams with his size, scoring 9 goals through regional play. Defensively at center back, he constantly won balls, setting the offense in motion the other way. "He was probably our second-most influential player," Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. "He's been so dominant in the air this year and so good defensively and attacking wise."

Ben Kelly, Benet

Whenever the Redwings needed someone big to step up and make a play, this senior was there to do it. "Big, physical, determined, hard working and it leads to being a real difference maker in high school soccer," Benet coach Sean Wesley said. "Ben is the perfect example of the attitude and effort it takes to lead a team to go 18-1-2 (through Oct. 28)." He had 21 goals and 6 assists heading into sectional finals.

Charlie Kerby, WW South

This all-state selection literally was in on just about all of the offensive action for the Tigers this fall. After winning Defensive Player of the Year in the DuPage Valley Conference last year, Kerby proceeded to be named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year this year, scoring 11 goals and tallying 5 assists and making a direct impact on nearly 70 percent of the team's offense. "Versatility and confidence abound (with Kerby)," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said.

Danny Koeller, Glenbard North

The Panthers' best all-around player was this senior, who also did all the little things in the middle of the field that helped them battle in the DuPage Valley Conference and win a regional title. "Running box-to-box for 80 minutes, challenging every 50/50 ball, winning the ball in the air," Glenbard North coach Gregg Koeller said. "The offensive stats don't matter nearly as much without those parts of the game." He finished with 15 assists and 6 goals and earned all-state honors.

Joshua Kolzow, Neuqua Valley

The Wildcats fell just short of a DuPage Valley Conference title, and this senior's passion helped drive them to a great deal of success. "His example of fitness and focus is fitting since he is one of our captains," Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez said. "He is not afraid to encourage or call out others work in order to improve the team's performance." He finished the regular season with 7 goals and 5 assists.

Enrique Luna, Addison Trail

The engine that kept the Blazers blazing as the end of summer turned to autumn was this talented senior forward, who was constantly on the go, scoring and assisting. "His speed and playmaking ability makes him one of the most dangerous forwards in the state," Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini said. "He's unselfish too, very unselfish player, looking to set up his teammates." He scored 27 goals and assisted on 9 others.

Elias McCloud, Wheaton Academy

The Warriors couldn't replace all-everything Ty Seager, but McCloud did everything he could to try to duplicate his offensive efforts. "Elias has learned to play in the final third and ended with 18 goals and 20 assists," Wheaton Academy coach Jeff Brooke said. "He was dynamic, dangerous and strong on top of the ball." Was part of the largest senior class in team history and to celebrate that fact he went out and had a hat trick on Senior Night.

Connor Mote, Benet

The Redwings' only loss entering the postseason came in August. A pivotal key to their success has been the play of the midfield, and Mote's the lone senior of the group. "He has connected the back line to Benet's forwards all year long, while also playing a huge defensive role in the middle of the field," Benet coach Sean Wesley said. "His work rate off the ball matches his vision and outstanding technical ability with the ball." He scored 13 goals and added 14 assists through Oct. 27.

Calum Nettleton, Neuqua Valley

Playing the marked man role all fall for the Wildcats, this senior did not disappoint. "He's been the cog driving our offense this season," Neuqua Valley coach Arnoldo Gonzalez said. "Be it through attacking runs, precise passing or launching his powerful shot, Cal has drawn the attention of defenders throughout the season." He finished the regular season with 12 assists and 5 goals, many of which decided games.

Edgar Pani, West Chicago

This senior was the motor in the middle that kept the Wildcats chugging. "He is a very technical player that can use both his right and left foot with great accuracy," West Chicago coach Jose Villa said. "His knowledge of the game along with his technical ability allows him to beat players on the dribble, get us out of tight situations and he is also a great leader." Pani finished with 8 goals and 5 assists after not playing a season ago.

Giacomo Parrino, Waubonsie Valley

To say the Warriors had a bounce-back season would be an understatement. They tripled the number of wins they had from a year ago. This junior forward had a lot to do with it. He led the team in goals and assists. "We knew he could be something special his year," Warriors coach Jose Garcia said. "He really became what we expected him to be. He was comfortable at forward and his confidence blossomed." Last year the Warriors only won four games. This year they won 12 as well as a regional title.

Brian Ramos, Addison Trail

The Blazers enjoyed their finest season in about 25 years and this senior was its reliable leader on a back line that shut out or limited 18 opponents to just a single goal. "He is a lockdown defender who is consistent, reliable and as competitive as they come," Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini said. He helped the Blazers go 4-0 against DuPage Valley Conference teams and beat three teams in the regular season that won regional titles.

Jack Richards, Downers Grove North

This junior midfielder may have flown under the radar a bit, but he put together a fantastic season and will be one of the top players in DuPage County coming back next year. "He is an extremely talented player," Trojans coach Mike Schmitt said. "He is an impact player and is one of the top players in the area." Richards scored the same number of goals as the team played games, 21. He added 10 assists.

Luis Rocha, Wheaton Academy

Here's all you need to know - this senior defender scored 11 goals; the Warriors allowed 9. "Luis was our foundation in the back and led us to one of the best defensive years, statistically speaking," Brooke said. Rocha and the defense posted 13 shutouts, one of the best defensive seasons in program history.

Chris Sullivan, Naperville North

The captain of the All-Area team for the second consecutive year, Sullivan was a marked man all season but still came up with countless big plays to lead the Huskies to another DuPage Valley Conference crown. "He's someone who could have just glided through his high school career, and he'd always be one of the best kids," Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. "But he has made significant improvement to his game each year."

Pawel Wilisowski, Glenbard East

You can count on one had how many goals and assists this senior had, but you'd need multiple hands and fingers to count the different things he brought to the Rams this season. "He was an amazing leader as a captain and his play on the field was consistent through the season," Rams coach Josh Adler said. "He had the ability to move forward but more importantly he brought stability to the center of the field." He helped the Rams win their first Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division title.

Nate Zain, Naperville Central

The Redhawks may have compiled just a 9-7-4 record and been eliminated in the first round of the postseason, but they were extremely competitive in every game this fall - 16 of 20 were ties or decided by a single goal. This junior midfielder led the way and was an all-state selection. "We didn't score a lot, but he led us in points with 14," Redhawks coach Troy Adams said.

Honorable mention

Ethan Akkawi, Sr., Downers Grove North; Jimmy Allen, Jr., Timothy Christian; Brett Babcock, Sr., Waubonsie Valley; Zach Crescenzo, Sr., St. Francis; Bennett Curtis, Sr., Benet; Livre Emena, Sr., Glenbard North; Griffin Geisler, Sr., Naperville Central; Ethan Grosman, Jr., St. Francis; Ethan Harvey, Jr., Naperville North; Noah Kettle, Sr., Wheaton Warrenville South; Gerardo Lopez, Jr., Fenton; Michael Lothridge, Sr., Metea Valley; Alessandro Montes, Sr., Lake Park; Michael Pfaff, Sr., Wheaton North; Jake Semba, Sr., Hinsdale Central; Wesley Sprague, Sr., Naperville Central; Ethan Stoneman, Jr., Wheaton Academy; Matthew Waters, Sr., Glenbard South; Tommy Welch, Sr., Naperville North; Spencer Wiese, Sr., Neuqua Valley.