Boys soccer notes: 50th MSL Soccer Cup set to kick off
No other boys soccer conference in the state has celebrated it league champion like the Mid-Surburban League. On Wednesday, the 50th MSL Soccer Cup will be center stage.
MSL soccer began in 1976 when Fremd was crowned overall league champion but one year later, Wheeling beat Forest View 5-2.
Forest View, which closed in 1986, was a soccer power during the early stages of the MSL with hall-of-fame coach Al Beard a key figure in the growth of the league.
Fremd has lifted the championship trophy more than any other with 11 wins, followed by Palatine (nine) and Hersey (five).
Fremd’s Steve Keller has won the most championship trophies with six in his league-best nine appearances, followed by retired greats Gerardo Pagnani and Scott Steib (Barrington) with eight each and Tony Kees with seven while at Conant.
Darren Llewellyn holds the record for most consecutive Soccer Cup titles with three (2006-2008) and there's been nine finals decided in penalty kicks, four in overtime.
The league went from North and South divisions to its current East and West format before a restructure a year ago. The conference split its two divisions, with the purported top-six clubs placed in the MSL West. The remaining six sides compose the MSL East.
In addition, 2025 was the first semifinal round of play, pitting the top two clubs in each division against each other for the right to advance into the Soccer Cup.
MSL West champion Hersey (14-0-3) hosts MSL East runner-up Barrington (7-5-5) on Monday, while MSL East champ Rolling Meadows (13-3-2) welcomes MSL West runner-up Conant (12-3-3).
“Those of us who were on the team who lost to Schaumburg in our semifinal a year ago were not happy, so it's been a big motivation for us, and one of our goals we've set for ourselves,” said Hersey senior Teddy Reyes, one of five holdovers from the 2024 state championship team.
Lake Zurich wins NSC title
Without the fanfare of the MSL Soccer Cup, Lake Zurich (15-2-1) captured the NSC crown in spectacular fashion.
Junior Blake Laudeman bagged the game-winner with an 30-yard shot in the 54th minute to defeat Warren 1-0. The Blue Devils came into the contest with an 11-0-3 record, including 4-0-2 in league play.
“It was electric,” Laudeman said of the atmosphere in Gurnee. “It was easily the best goal of my high school career.
“I kind of took the ball off the half bounce, and just hit a daisy-cutter (a low-driven shot just off the turf) and it found its way into the back of the net,” he said.
The Bears have a strong center-back partnership in Jan Pelic and Alex Pretnik, who form a wall in front of keeper Will Allen.
Allen was brilliant during the Warren game, making several important saves including a stop 90 seconds from time to ensure victory.
The Bears’ attack is led by all-state candidate Trevor Smith, Matthew Bergfeld, Michael Bartoszuk, and Laudeman, who together have accounted for 34 of the 54 goals scored by Lake Zurich this season.