Scouting DuPage County boys soccer
Top local teams: Hinsdale Central, Lake Park, Metea Valley, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Wheaton Academy, York.
Top players: Alex Beausoleil (Wheaton North, sr., F), Matteo Costa (Lake Park, sr., MF), Seth Dilworth (Glenbard West, sr., F), Paolo Favuzzi (York, jr., MF), Mario Giase (Willowbrook, sr., GK), Noah Glorioso (Waubonsie Valley, jr., MF), Enrique Gonzalez (Downers Grove South, jr., MF), Nick Gulli (St. Francis, sr., MF), Jesse Hernandez (West Chicago, jr., MF/F), Sumani Husseini (Wheaton Warrenville South, sr., MF), Colin Iverson (Naperville North, sr., D), Owen Jarrell (Naperville Central, jr., MF), Seamus Kilgallon (Wheaton Academy, sr., MF), Ty Konrad (Naperville North, jr., F), Evan Lang (Metea Valley, sr., MF), James Lynch (Metea Valley, sr., F), Melvin Mora (Addison Trail, sr., F/MF), Jose Navarro (Neuqua Valley, sr., MF), Nick O'Brien (Glenbard East, sr., MF), Franco Presta (Lake Park, sr., MF), Spencer Pyle (Glenbard South, sr., MF), Nick Renfo (Benet, jr. MF), Franklin Rutkowski (Benet, sr., F), Gavin Schwarz (Hinsdale Central, sr., D), Cameron Strang (Naperville Central, sr., D), Tommy Welch (Naperville North, sr., GK).
Outlook: There's probably nowhere better to begin than with Naperville North and the DuPage Valley Conference since the Huskies are coming off back-to-back Class 3A championships and their 25th DVC title in program history. While the Huskies lost a great deal of experience and leadership from the class that graduated, they still return five starters. Ten of the kids on their roster just won a national club championship with Naperville Galaxy SC. "Many of them will be asked to step in and play major roles this season," Huskies coach Jim Konrad said. "The big question this year will be if we can generate goals outside of restarts." The front line of Ty Konrad, Patrick Koenig and Ali Khorfan, and defenders Colin Iverson and Cesar Recendez along with Tommy Welch in goal make the team formidable once again, although the midfield group is rebuilding.
Metea Valley is coming off a 15-8-2 season in which it was excellent in conference at 6-2. Seniors Evan Lang, James Lynch and Matt Berry and junior goalkeeper Gandhi Cruz return. "Strong group of players returning that are offensive minded," Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said. "We're looking to build off regional title last year. Senior class has reinvented the culture of Metea soccer and are doing a great job showing that through early season training."
Neuqua Valley lost 12 seniors from last season's 14-6-1 team that finished 5-3-0 in the DVC. Coach Arnoldo Gonzalez expects the strength to come from the midfield, but will the group be able to come together quickly with many new bodies taking on different roles? "With a blend of freshmen through seniors, we are hoping to come together as a unit," he said. Seniors Jose Navarro, David Kuhn and Anthony Safo all return.
Waubonsie Valley will look to improve on last year's 10-11-1 record but will do so with a mix of players who will need to take on additional responsibilities after having 10 seniors on the roster last fall. Juniors Noah Glorioso and Danny Fritz are back to lead the way. Coach Jose Garcia expects big things from freshman Zach Stanley among others. "Young team but working hard to prove themselves," Garcia said. "They are aware of the competition and are willing to take up that challenge.
Naperville Central is coming off a 15-5-3 season that finally came to the end against the rival Huskies in a sectional final. Expect that rivalry to continue to be a great one, and even better if the Redhawks can find some scoring. With Owen Jarrell and Rohan Bhargava back in the midfield, Jake Crawford and Cameron Strang solidifying the back and keepers Brad Palagi and Ethan Conners also returning, the Redhawks should be a team to watch as they fill the void left by departed seniors. "The challenge this year is to find a consistent way to score," Redhawks coach Troy Adams said. "We believe we have a chance to be very dangerous on dead balls, but we also have to find goals in the run of play as well." Competitiveness will remain in the DVC, although it has a new look since Glenbard North, Lake Park, Wheaton North and Wheaton Warrenville South have moved on to the new DuKane Conference with Batavia, Geneva and the two St. Charles schools.
The DuPage schools that left the DVC may have escaped the rigors of the best conference in the state, but it doesn't get much easier in the new DuKane, including with the North Stars returning after placing fourth in the state last year. Glenbard North gets a new start with Spero Mandakas taking over. The Panthers were winless in conference last year and only won twice overall. "The biggest weakness for this team is experience," Mandakas said. "We only have five or six guys who have played at the varsity level." They should have some scoring with Ode Emena, Jesus Aragon and Nestor Dominguez returning and Emmanuel Castanon and Gabriel Jurado joining the squad. They're also young with just four seniors.
The expectations are huge at Lake Park with 10 seniors returning, including midfielders Franco Presta and Matteo Costa, defenders Tom Zakic and Max Ellenbecker and midfielder Jesus Juarez. "Our midfield and front line give us a lot of options to be creative in the attack," Lancers coach Sean Crosby said. "Returning three of four defenders on our back line will help us stay consistent in the back."
Wheaton North was only 7-12-4 but finished strong, winning a regional and hanging tough in a sectional semifinal. "Our major strength this year will be our returning back line," Falcons coach Rob Stassen said. "We will be better this year due to our confidence and returning players with experience." Jack Mancuso returns to lead the back line, while Alex Beausoleil and Joe Gaither return to lead their scorers.
Wheaton Warrenville South welcomes back eight players from last year's 7-12-2 squad. "We will get out slowly while trying to develop continuity in our ideas given the majority of players are new to the level of play," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. Midfielders Sumani Husseini, Ryan Dufty, and Nick McGrath, forward Declin Ermer, defender Sam Schlegel and goalkeeper Joe Adamek all return.
Downers Grove North is coming off a successful 14-5-2 season and returns senior defenders Nick Eshbhy, Ryan Newstrom and Will Thomas but is going to need some contributors to pitch in. "We lost some impactful players last season, but this year we have a lot of depth and talent stepping in and that should make us a more rounded squad this year," Trojans coach Michael Schmitt said. Sophomore midfielder Trigvy Hansen and sophomore goalkeeper Gavin Crowson will be among those newcomers filtering in this fall as the Trojans aim to be successful in the West Suburban Silver and go deep into the postseason.
The graduation of 13 seniors marked the end of a cycle at Glenbard West, so the Hilltoppers will rely heavily on the skill, experience and leadership of its seven returning players, including forward Seth Dilworth and fellow seniors Connor Hryhorysak, Kent Pollock and P.J. Knapke for a team that went 11-9-0. "With only four seniors returning from last year's starting lineup, the team will feature a very young group of players this season," Hilltoppers coach Maciej Kusmierz said. "The 13 newcomers will have to learn quickly all the aspects of the varsity level game while improving their performance on a day-to-day basis."
Hinsdale Central returns 14 players from last year's 12-10-2 team, but one that only collected a single victory in conference. Coach Michael Wiggins describes his team as "determined, hard working, committed and energetic" and one that "clearly enjoys being around each other; a group that loves to play." Seniors Kosta Kinnas, Gavin Schwarz, Kareem Touleimat and Gareth Maritz are among the returning Red Devils.
York returns a lot of talent from a team that compiled 13 wins a season ago but fell short of a regional title. The group's hungry and coach Lukasz Majewski likes that. "We have a one-game-at-a-time mentality and view every opponent as important and dangerous," he said. "We are a fast and a technically gifted squad with the ability to possess the ball for prolonged periods of time." Midfielders Joe Meade, Paolo Favuzzi, Jack Musial and Ethan Oder are among the team's returnees, while defenders Edwardo DelCarmen, Josh Borzello, Jonathan Milani and Parker Gawne also are back. Gawne likely will see time at forward as well.
Addison Trail will get a huge boost from the addition of a half-dozen players who only played academy last year and will look to combine with several returning players for a team that struggled through a 6-12-4 season. "Our talent level is much improved from last year," Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. "We are very excited about this group of players. We also have a lot of players who can play all over the field, so our versatility is going to be important depending on our opponent for specific matches." Just a couple years ago, Addison Trail went 22-2. The Blazers are hungry to return to that level, and with the mix of returnees, newcomers and desire, should be a tough team to beat.
Downers Grove South is fortunate to have seven players back, including a few on defense. "I feel our focus will be how to use that as a strength especially early in the season," Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said. Midfielders Enrique Gonzalez, Alex Flores and Jack Daly also return.
Hinsdale South will try to forget last season and there isn't much worthwhile to remember after going 1-21-1 and winless in the West Suburban Gold. Senior midfielder Chris Wayman will look to rally the troops and be more competitive this fall.
Willowbrook senior goalkeeper Mario Giase has big responsibilities since his team has a new back four defensive line. He's a three-year starter so his role will be huge. David Rizzo and Jeff Wolski also will lead on and off the field. Coach Eddie DeLaCruz said that Rizzo is "lightning quick with great field presence" and that Wolski is "easily the best field presence player on our team." Dorian Mahone and Thomas Waldorf are a couple of newcomers who will look to contribute for a team that's hungry to be better than sixth place in conference like it was a season ago. "Sixth place isn't going to get it done," DeLaCruz said, "as it has hindered our regional positioning for the playoffs so getting off to a good start is crucial."
Fenton will have to adjust to life without Angel Barriga, the captain of the 2017 Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area boys soccer team, and fellow standout Jonathan Chavez. "I believe that we will contribute as a team to scoring goals in multiple areas by various players," Bison coach Victor Ruiz said. "You can't replace an Angel Barriga, but you can make up by playing stronger as a team." Coming off a 17-win season, the Bison do return some experienced and talented players, including seniors Abraham Sanchez, Branny Salas and goalkeeper Carlos Popoca, juniors Sebastian Palacios and Jason Fuentes and sophomore Ivan Jaramillo.
IC Catholic Prep was hit hard by the loss of 11 seniors, but the program is still young, taking the field for just the fourth year. It is coming off a 3-16 season in which just three of its games were decided by a single goal. The team will look to be more competitive and will rely on youth with only four seniors but eight juniors and five underclassmen.
St. Francis joins the Metro Suburban Conference Blue Division this fall after going 7-1-0 in the Chicago Catholic Conference White last year. Once again, a difficult schedule against bigger schools will make things difficult for the Spartans. "Our schedule should test our will and abilities," Spartans coach Kevin Ward said. "We will have to replace a solid defensive unit lost to graduation. Our strength falls on the leadership of our senior class and their ability to get younger classmen synced with the program for our attacking game." Senior midfielders Sean Conley and Nick Gulli and sophomore defender/midfielder Trey Gora all return, while a trio of freshmen - Adrien Graffin, Guy DeFeo and Brendan Yarusso - will look to step right in and contribute.
Joe Zielke takes over as coach at Timothy Christian, a program that went 17-7 last year and made it to the Class 2A sectional finals. An experienced group returns with 11 players from last year's roster including nine starters. How will the Trojans adjust without Jimmy Allen and Mike Martens? Returning to Class 1A should make it easier in the long run once the postseason arrives; they only have four non-1A regular-season opponents. Senior goalkeeper Nick Johnson and a solid mix of eight junior and senior midfielders and defenders all return.
Last year Wheaton Academy accepted the fact that it had lost 14 players to graduation from its 2016 squad and then proceeded to compile a 24-5 record and a perfect mark in conference. Once again, they bid goodbye to some really good seniors but will look for the next guys in line to take over and find similar success. "I think we have a strong group with a good core of senior and junior players," Warriors coach Jeff Brooke said. "We lost a strong group of senior leaders and the 34 goals that Luke Holwerda provided, but I believe our seniors are up for the challenge of leading the program." Senior twins Seamus Kilgallon and Jack Kilgallon and senior outside back Owen Setran are back to lead the team while senior goalkeeper R.J. Simmons will take over in net for J.D. Gunn and big things are anticipated from junior outside mid Logan Finnegan.
Benet dominated the East Suburban Catholic Conference (8-1) but only had one victory outside of it. The Redwings should be solid defensively, as well as in the midfield with three players returning there, including Nick Renfro. Benet will start a goalie with no experience, but juniors Hunter Randolph and Vytautas Staniskis are the options and coach Sean Wesley said he's excited to get them time in net. "We are young again, but this year we are young with experience," Wesley said. "We're returning four freshmen and two sophomores, all who played a lot of minutes last year." Offensively, the Redwings once again turn to Franklin Rutkowski, the ESCC Offensive Player of the Year in 2017.
Glenbard East will need to find ways to be better in the final third of the field when attacking but has a lot of talent and potential to do that and more to contend in the Upstate Eight. "Our strength is our experience, technical skill and competitive nature of the group," Rams coach Josh Adler said. "The boys are looking to build off their success in 2017." Midfielders Nick O'Brien, Ian Moran, defenders Alex Johnson and Adler Joiner and goalkeeper Gerardo Galvez are the team's top returning seniors.
Glenbard South makes the transition to the Upstate Eight from the Metro Suburban. "We're the only 2A school in conference so we'll be battle-tested against bigger sides and hopefully that will prepare us for a deeper playoff run this season," Raiders coach Adam Szyszko said. "We bring back an experienced group that won a regional title last year," and one that also won 12 games. Senior four-year players Spencer Pyle, John McMahon, Matt Moscatello and Alex Flores and junior Josh Cohen all return.
West Chicago once again will be undersized, making winning balls in the air a challenge. The Wildcats also struggled this summer in finding a goal scorer. "We need to find our guy who is going to be our finisher," Wildcats coach Jose Villa said. "Our biggest strength is our ability to keep the ball. We feel comfortable with our first touch and possession." West Chicago should be strong in back with junior captain Alonso Salinas returning to lead the way. Jesse Hernandez, Oscar Alanis, Diego Cortes and Roberto Medina also return from last year's 10-win squad. "We feel strong about the skill level of this team and it is just a matter of us making sure that we gel together as a team to make stuff happen," Villa said.
Montini is undoubtedly one of the youngest teams in the area with only three seniors on its roster but does have several returning starters, including juniors Joshua Gonzaga and Cody Collier. They were named team co-captains. Gonzaga possesses quick feet and a keen sense of the goal, and Collier owns a very high soccer IQ. "We are quick but lack size," Broncos coach Barry Briggs said. Freshman Adam Belmares is a newcomer to watch. "Adam is exceptionally strong on the ball for a freshman," Briggs said. "With this talented group of young players we are looking for a third straight conference championship and a deep run into the playoffs."
Lisle is going to need its three seniors to have solid seasons and for its biggest class, sophomores, including many who started or played a lot last fall, to step up and contribute if the Lions hope to get over the sub.-500 hump (8-10 last year). "We expect to improve our offensive production as all but one player is back from last year's starting lineup," Lisle coach Paul Kohorn said. Max Pavlyuk and Alexis Tamariz give the team depth in goal. Defenders Jacob Wilk and Griff Myslewiec also return.