Scouting DuPage County girls soccer
Top local teams: Hinsdale Central, Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton Academy, Wheaton Warrenville South.
Top games: Naperville Central vs. Waubonsie Valley and Naperville North vs. Neuqua Valley at North Central, March 24; Naperville North at Downers Grove South, April 10; Waubonsie Valley at Naperville North, April 12; Glenbard North at Glenbard South, April 12; Downers Grove North at Benet, April 16; Naperville Central at Neuqua Valley, April 17; Glenbard North at Glenbard West, April 17; Neuqua Valley at Waubonsie Valley, April 19, Wheaton Warrenville South at Wheaton North, April 19; Naperville Central at Naperville North, April 19; Benet at Wheaton Academy, April 19; Naperville Invite, April 22-24 & April 29-May 1; Hinsdale Central vs. Hinsdale South at Illinois Benedictine, April 23; Wheaton Academy at Montini, May 11; Hinsdale Central at Benet, May 13; St. Charles East at Waubonsie Valley, May 13.
Top players: Rachele Armand (Waubonsie Valley, Fr., D), Cameryn Barbeau (Glenbard West, Sr., D), Flo Beshiri (Downers Grove South, So., M), Melissa Boduch (Hinsdale Central, Sr., D), Jessica Broknke (Downers Grove South, So., M), Liz Ciesielski (Wheaton Warrenville South, So., F), Jacqueline Cozzone (Lake Park, Jr., M), Lisette Cuvala-Jurado (Glenbard East, Sr., M), Natalie D'Agostino (Immaculate Conception, Jr., M), Nicole D'Agostino (Hinsdale Central, Sr., GK), Jill D'Amico (Naperville Central, So., GK), Emily Delong (Lisle, Sr., M), Vanessa DiBernardo (Waubonsie Valley, Sr., M), Christi Dithrich (Wheaton Academy, Sr., D), Kristina Dolak (Naperville North, Sr., D), Hunter Drendel (Naperville North, So., M), Molly Gaffney (Hinsdale Central, Sr., M/D), Kim Gianos (St. Francis, Sr., GK), Allison Gilbert (Downers Grove North, Sr., M), Meagan Gitchell (St. Francis, Sr., M), Meghan Grant (Wheaton Academy, Sr., M/F), Megan Green (Waubonsie Valley, Jr., M), Kimmy Grimmer (Downers Grove South, Jr., D), Rycke Guiney (Naperville North, Sr. M), Carrie Hanley (Glenbard South, Jr., M), Kirstyn Harrington (Sr., M/F), Taylor Heatherly (Naperville Central, Sr., M), Lena Husayni (Hinsdale Central, Sr., M), Emily Janecek (Naperville North, Sr., D), Kelly Kalkofen (Neuqua Valley, Sr., F), Courtney Ksiazek (Neuqua Valley, Sr., D), Keri Kujawa (Downers Grove South, Jr., F), Nicole Lapetina (Wheaton Warrenville South, Sr., M), Caytin Lewin (Benet, Sr., D), Andi Matichak (St. Francis, So., F), Katie McNeela (Lake Park, Sr., D), Jamie Meno (Naperville North, Jr., D), Erin Mrazek (Glenbard East, So., M), Emily Mulder (Wheaton Academy, Sr., GK), Megan Oyster (Neuqua Valley, Jr. M), Lindsey Paganucci (Glenbard East, So., M), Tonia Parisi (Addison Trail, So., M), Lexi Peterson (Wheaton Warrenville South, So., F), Jessica Pinto (Neuqua Valley, Sr., M), Danielle Pitaro (Glenbard South, Fr., F), Meagan Radloff (West Chicago, Jr., F), Jenna Romano (Waubonsie Valley, Fr., D), Rocky Salinas (Immaculate Conception, So., F), Hillary Scott (Naperville Central, Sr., M), Lexi Sharkey (Wheaton Academy, Sr., F), Bridget Shrigley (Wheaton Warrenville South, Jr., D), Zoe Swift (Naperville North, Fr., F), Crystal Thomas (Wheaton Academy, So., M/F), Sarah Tomasello (Addison Trail, So., F), Nicole Urban (Lisle, Jr., F).
Outlook: Many area teams head into the 2010 season optimistically, but no one has expectations as high as Naperville North. The Huskies only yielded 11 goals last season while compiling a 19-3-3 mark and have goalkeeper Ellie Flessner back as well as defenders Kristina Dolak, Emily Janecek and Jamie Meno. Once again, scoring against the Huskies won't be easy. Offensively, the Huskies lost their top scorers from a season ago, but the more-than-capable Rycke Guiney and newcomer Zoe Swift aren't expected to have any problems finding the net. You'd also be hard-pressed to find a better incoming class of freshmen than the one at Naperville North. In addition to Swift, new Huskies' Caroline Casas, Cora Climo, Christa Szalach, Jillian Van Kampen and Angela Widlacki are expected to make contributions immediately. So what happens when you add six outstanding new players to an already very successful team that returns eight starters? You get noticed, and if you're one of those people who tunes into national polls, you'll certainly take notice that Naperville North received the preseason No. 4 ranking in ESPNRise.com's national girls soccer poll. Expectations are definitely high for the Huskies this season.
Defending Class 3A state champion Hinsdale Central, which ended the Huskies' season a year ago with a 2-1 double-overtime victory in the supersectional, should be one of the top teams again, but the Red Devils will be without 26-goal scorer Toni Kokenis. Kokenis is gearing up to play basketball at Stanford and will not be playing soccer this spring. Hinsdale Central does return five starters from last year's team, including Pitt-recruit Nicole D'Agostino.
Naperville Central went undefeated in the DuPage Valley Conference last season, and with Division I players Taylor Heatherly (Baylor) and Hillary Scott (Illinois State) back for their final seasons, the Redhawks expect big things. "We believe that we have the makings of a solid team and look forward to playing one of the toughest schedules in the area," Redhawks coach Ed Watson said. Jill D'Amico was spectacular in goal last season as a freshman, posting 16 shutouts, while Gina Maddi led the team with 13 goals in her own freshman campaign.
Neuqua Valley dominated the Upstate Eight Conference last season with a 9-0-1 record. Daily Herald All-Area selection Megan Oyster is back this season to lead the Wildcats who hope for better success in the postseason after a heartbreaking 2-1 quadruple-overtime loss to Waubonsie Valley in the Class 3A sectional semifinals last spring. Neuqua Valley will attempt to play a more possession game this season so a mix of formations and players in different positions should be expected. "They will be a solid defensive team," Neuqua Valley coach Joe Moreau said. "But they are looking to be more offensive than last season's 61 goals scored." The Wildcats expect strong seasons from midfielders Jessica Pinto (Western Illinois) and Alexa Wilde, forward Kelly Kalkofen (Illinois State) and defenders Courtney Ksiazek and Brenna Vogel (Eastern Illinois).
Things will most definitely be different in net for Waubonsie Valley. After four years, 104 games, two state tiles and 73 shutouts, goalkeeper Claire Hanold has graduated. The Warriors also lost Rachel Bostick and Bri Rodriguez. With such key contributors to the undefeated state champion teams of 2007 and 2008 now gone, the Warriors will look for new leaders. The Warriors' Vanessa DiBernardo is far from new. The senior is expected to have another standout season. She's already collected 54 goals and 34 assists in her first three seasons. The Warriors will need to find a suitable replacement in goal and put together a proper mix of returning experienced players with the newcomers this spring.
Watch for Wheaton Warrenville South to be a tough opponent in the DuPage Valley Conference. The Tigers have veteran leadership in Liz Ciesielski, Bridgette Shrigley and four-year varsity player Nicole Lapetina, while junior Laine Jackson and sophomore Lexi Peterson come back with an addition year of experience. "We'll have offensive opportunities with Lexi (Peterson) and Liz (Ciesielski)," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "We have good experience at all the impact positions. The nucleus is there and the supporting cast is fairly good as well." Sophomore Kate Fowee and freshmen Natalie Jensen, Dana Miller and McKenna Kiple could all offer positives for the depth-rich and speedy Tigers this spring.
Glenbard West returns a handful of experienced players from last year's 10-9-2 squad, but whether the Hilltoppers can make bigger strides this season remains to be seen. Glenbard South has seven freshmen on its roster this spring and very few returning starters. "I believe we will be an exciting team to watch as this group has decent team speed, a competitive mindset and reasonably good technical baseline and a good work ethic," Raiders coach Glen Eggert said. Whether or not the young Raiders players can gain confidence early on and let their talent take over is a big question heading into the season. With seven returning starters Glenbard East hopes to improve on last season's 7-12-1 mark. One of the returnees is Lisette Cuvala-Jurado, a midfielder who opted to play for the Chicago Fire Junior Academy last season but is now back for her senior year. Keep an eye out for the continued development of sophomore midfielders Erin Mrazek and Lindsey Paganucci while senior Alison Scott anchors the defense and Serra Erguven paces the offense.
Benet lost leading scorer Liz Dudek, so filling her void will be the biggest key this season. The Redwings have a slew of capable players who can ensure that the Redwings can click offensively. Those players include midfielders Jamei Borges, Kelly Didrich, Katie Kaufmann, Calli Willett and Brittany Pullen, and sophomore forwards Catherine Caniglia and Madie Burke. Downers Grove South should be very competitive once again. After an undefeated West Suburban Gold season in 2009, the Mustangs return Jessic Bronke and Flo Beshiri in the midfield with Kimmy Grimmer anchoring the defense and scorer Keri Kujawa back on offense. A trio of sophomores, including goalkeeper Amanda Meyers is expected to contribute this season too. "We expect to be with the top teams in the area and state," 27-year coach Barry Jacobson said. "Our schedule is very difficult and should give us great preparation for the state tournament."
Lake Park aims to get above .500 in the Upstate Eight this season. Seniors Elizabeth Riggio and Katie McNeela and juniors Jacqueline Cozzone and Daniela DiGiola lead the Lancers. "With the Upstate Eight Conference being one of the top conferences in the state for girls soccer we are looking to be competitive in each game," Lake Park coach Chris Fruehling said. Look for freshman Megan Lindbert to receive plenty of minutes at midfield for the Lancers. West Chicago knows what's to come in the powerful DuPage Valley Conference but with a nice mix of experienced veterans and hungry newcomers, coach Cesar Gomez, is excited about what the immediate future affords his squad. "We lost five seniors and we'll miss their leadership, but we're excited with the personnel we have," he said. "We don't have superstars, but people who want to contribute." Getting the girls to buy into the program - about it being about them and not the coaches - has taken some time, but the Wildcats appear ready. Top players include junior forward Meagan Radloff, seniors Stephanie Salinas and Anna Mercaldo and goalkeeper Rachel Thomas.
In Class 2A Wheaton Academy will attempt to defend its state championship without last year's trio of senior standouts: Becca Long, Leah Fortune and Jenn Lee. "I think with us the biggest approach is with it being a new season and a new team," Wheaton Academy coach Scott Marksberry said. "Last year we'd go out and score 7-8 goals a game and we're not necessarily expecting that this season. We'll need to find different ways to win games, not just a total offensive fire." NIU-recruit Emily Mulder is back in goal for the Warriors after a 60-save season in 2009. Seniors Meghan Grant, Alexa Sharkey, Christi Dithrich and sophomore Crystal Thomas will play larger roles this spring. "We graduated three of the 22 players on the team," Marksberry said. "The three we lost were very good, but we have our entire defense so we have a lot of experience and the girls are excited to defend the title and to write their own story to build on the legacy." St. Francis, which saw its season come to a close at the hands of the Warriors in the Wheaton Academy sectional last year, looks for another record-breaking season. The 22-4 mark the Spartans posted last spring was the best in school history. Now, with Northern Iowa-recruit Kim Gianos in goal, Diana Matusiak and Yasmeen Mahmum controlling the defense and Megan Gitchell at midfield, the Spartans hope to make a run at a title of their own. "We're very excited," first-year coach Megan Boler said. "We have some pretty big shoes to fill, but we have a nice mix of returning players who will be leaders for us and four or five freshmen that are really skilled." If anyone is skeptical of how much of an impact a freshman can make, just remember what Andi Matichak did last spring for the Spartans. The Daily Herald All-Area selection had 30 goals and 8 assists in her debut campaign. As a sophomore she'll once again be the offensive catalyst for the Spartans. Sophomore Sydney Fox will assist Matichak on offense. Keep an eye out for freshmen Kaity Bucaro, Taylor Bucaro, Jenna DiTusa and Sarah Rahman.
In Class 1A look for Lisle to be battle-tested once the state series arrives. The Lions are hosting their own tournament, have a solid nonconference schedule and will be the only 1A team in the Pepsi Showdown. The Lions return eight starters, including center midfielders Emily Delong and forwards Nicole Urban and Jen Potter. "We are experienced and we have an opportunity for a great season this year," Lisle coach Paul Kohorn said. Timothy Christian will try to win its second consecutive regional championship and third in school history, while Immaculate Conception hopes to improve on last year's 10-5-2 record. "Last season and the one before we relied on certain players," Immaculate Conception coach Brian Frank said. "This year we need to play more as a team. I'd like to see us shift the load and attack as a whole team. In the past we couldn't do that because of skill level, but it looks like this year we can be successful in that way." Losing a few key players definitely should affect the Knights but with junior Natalie D'Agostino and sophomore Rocky Salinas and several others with experience returning, the team hopes to be one of the most competitive ones in the Suburban Christian Conference.