Girls soccer: Scouting the postseason in the Fox Valley

Can the top four teams in the Upstate Eight River make the Class 3A Bartlett girls soccer sectional Tri-Cities exclusive? Here's how the Fox Valley postseason breaks down.

Class 3A

Conant regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 1 St. Charles North vs. No. 15 Lake Park, Tuesday 4:30 p.m.; Game 2) No. 8 Conant vs. No. 9 Glenbard West 6:30 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, Friday 6 p.m.

Outlook: The UEC River champs posted a 16-3-1 mark and coach Brian Harks says there's nothing special his team has to cook up for playoff success: "I think the key phrase is consistency. Just continue to show up to play 80 minutes of focused soccer." The only team North's played in this regional is Conant, which the Stars beat 1-0. Sophomore forward Gia Wahlberg leads North with 17 goals and 5 assists while mid Hailey Rydberg has 6 goals and 13 assists. Keeper Sami Sample has 8.5 shutouts and allows less than 0.40 goals on average.

Advancement: The winner of the Conant regional plays the winner of the Glenbard North regional at the Bartlett sectional at Millennium Field, Tuesday May 24 at 4:30 p.m.

Addison Trail regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 2 St. Charles East vs. No. 16 Addison Trail Wednesday, 4:30 p.m.; Game 2) No. 7 Wheaton North vs. No. 10 Schaumburg, 6:30 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, Saturday, 11 a.m.

Outlook: The Saints (17-3-1) used their loss to SCN early this season as more as a step forward and it hasn't changed their temperament. "It's relaxed, it's fun and it's what we've been all year," Saints coach Paul Jennison said. "There's no secret message; don't change, don't panic and stick to what we're good at and taking care of business when we need to." Forward Chantel Carranza has 17 goals and 6 assists (40 points) while Hannah Kolb, defender Julia Peterson and Megan O'Neal have 9 goals each. Forward Claire Rasmussen leads the team in assists with 11 as East totals 8 players in double digits scoring in a balanced attack. If Schaumburg upsets Wheaton North, the teams can have a rematch of a 3-0 win for East on April 6.

Advancement: The winner of the Addison Trail regional plays the winner of the Geneva regional in the Bartlett sectional at Millennium Field, Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m.

Geneva regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 3 Geneva vs. No. 13 Hoffman Estates Tuesday 6 p.m.; Game 2) No. 6 Wheaton Warrenville South vs. 11. Rolling Meadows Wednesday 6 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Friday, 5 p.m.

Outlook: Surprising Geneva finished with a 12-5-1 record thanks to Kyleigh Dominguez's 16 goals and 3 assists and sister Jenna Dominguez's 8 goals and 4 assists. Another key factor has been a healthy keeper Emma Harkleroad (9 shutouts), as well as a back line of Leah Groven, Briar Schwardt, Emily Hauser and Maddie Parise, who've held teams in check defensively. An interesting matchup looms on their home turf against WW South if seeds hold.

Advancement: The winner of the Geneva regional plays the winner of the Addison Trail regional in the Bartlett sectional at Millennium Field, Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m.

Glenbard North regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 4 Batavia vs. No. 14 Glenbard North, Wednesday 4:30 p.m.; Game 2) No. 5 Bartlett vs. No. 12 West Chicago 6:30 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Friday 6 p.m.

Outlook: Batavia (14-4-1) possess the toughest draw with Bartlett in the bracket. Their opponents will have to stop senior forward Megan McEachern (18 goals, 15 assists) and junior forward Keegan Maris (13 goals, 7 assists). Rachel Reinecke has 8 goals and 7 assists and goalie Jenny Scara has been stout with 11 shutouts. Bartlett looks to keep the sectional from being Tri-Cities exclusive. A defensive-oriented Hawks team broke a school record for wins (16-5-1) and a big reason is midfielder Mariela Alba with 7 goals and 23 assists. Forward Shelley Lyjak (13 goals, 6 assists) has become a valuable commodity along with mid Kaitlin Brohan (12 goals, 2 assists). Keeper Teagan Noesen quietly has 8 shutouts.

Advancement: The winner of the Glenbard North regional plays the winner of the Conant regional at the Bartlett sectional at Millennium Field, Tuesday May 24, 4:30 p.m.

Streamwood regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 1 Harlem vs. No. 7 Jefferson Tuesday 5 p.m.; Game 2) No. 4 Streamwood vs. No. 5 Larkin 7 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, Friday 5 p.m.

Outlook: Streamwood and Larkin put on a regional preview last Thursday as Larkin (9-11) owned a 3-2 edge at Millennium Field. Stephanie Nunez and Sam Moreno each scored 1 goal and 1 assist while Alondra Blanco and Karina Nevarez notched goals for the Sabres (6-13), who come in on a 5-game losing streak. Blanco (9 goals, 4 assists) and Nevarez (11 goals, 6 assist) lead Streamwood.

Advancement: The winner of the Streamwood regional plays the winner of the Cary-Grove regional at the Streamwood sectional, Wednesday, May 25 at 5 p.m.

Huntley regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 1 Huntley vs. No. 6 Dundee-Crown, Tuesday 5 p.m.; Game 2) No. 4 Jacobs vs. No. 5 Hononegah 7 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Friday 6 p.m.

Outlook: Can Huntley (17-3-2) make it to a third-straight supersectional? Huntley beat D-C (6-12-1) and Jacobs (7-9) by 3-0 scores. Striker Taryn Jakubowski has 18 goals and 10 assists but outside of her, goals are a premium. That's been weathered by defenders Erin Gaitsch, Sam Heustis, Tayah Owens and Stephanie Noble, which has aided Paige Renkosik's 13 shutouts. "It's the same (defenders) from last year and it makes a big difference," Huntley coach Kris Grabner said. "They already know what they want to do and we haven't had to put a whole lot of time into defensive shape in back."

Advancement: The winner of the Huntley regional plays the winner of the Harlem regional at the Streamwood sectional, Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

Cary-Grove regional

Pairings: Game 2) No. 2 CL South vs. No. 9 Grant, Tuesday 5 p.m.; Game 3) No. 3 Cary-Grove vs. No. 7 Round Lake, 7 p.m.; Game 4) Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3 Friday 5:30 p.m.

Outlook: FVC Valley champion CL South (13-5-1) heads in 6-0-1 in their last 7 with wins over Huntley and likely regional final opponent Cary-Grove (8-5-2), who lost to South 2-1. Forward Courtney Sengstock leads CLS in points with 30, that includes a team-high 12 goals. Jess Schoenfeldt backs her up with 11 goals on 7 assists and forward/mid Katherine Siavelis has 9 goals and 4 assists. South's back line features Raquel Hess and Jenna Ross, who disrupt attacks and goalie Annika Sevcik has 7 shutouts.

Advancement: The winner of the Cary-Grove regional plays the winner of the Streamwood regional at the Streamwood sectional, Wednesday, May 25 at 5 p.m.

Rockford Auburn regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 2 South Elgin vs. No. 8 Rockford East Tuesday 5 p.m.; Game 2) No. 3 Elgin vs. No. 6 Auburn 7 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Friday, 5:30 p.m.

Outlook: Both District U-46 schools will travel 60 miles, as Auburn's a familiar setting for the Storm (10-9-2). They beat Elgin for the regional title only to lose to Harlem at Auburn in the sectional semis in 2014. South Elgin fell in last year's sectional so can it shake off past failures and let the third time be the lucky charm? "No one is ready for this season to come to an end," Storm coach Tiffany Disher insisted. The Storm went 10-6-2 after an 0-3 start, which began with a 1-0 win over the Maroons.

Advancement: The winner of the Harlem regional plays the winner of the Huntley regional at the Streamwood sectional, Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

Plainfield North regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 14 West Aurora vs. No. 3 Plainfield North, Tuesday 4:30 p.m.; Game 2) No. 5 Metea Valley vs. No. 11 Plainfield Central, Tuesday 6:30 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Friday 5 p.m.

Outlook: West Aurora (8-10-1) has 2 possible rematches in the Metea Valley sectional bracket. First comes against North, a team it lost to at PepsiCo. A win could mean Metea in the final, which defeated the Blackhawks 4-1 on April 23.

Advancement: Winner of the Plainfield North regional plays the winner of the Oswego regional at the Metea Valley sectional, Tuesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

Class 2A

DeKalb sectional

Burlington Central regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 1 Sycamore vs. No. 7 IMSA Tuesday 5 p.m.; Game 2) No. 4 DeKalb vs. No. 5 Burlington Central, 6:30 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 Friday, 6 p.m.

Outlook: Of its 16-6 record, a 5-4 loss to Sycamore (18-2-1) on March 22 stands out for Central. BC equaled Sycamore 3-3 the final 40 as sophomore Jordan King scored twice. DeKalb (12-6-2) is Central's first hurdle. "We have a really tough regional and if we can win our regional we can probably go pretty far," Rockets coach Jess Arneson said. King leads the area with 82 points on 30 goals and 22 assists. Forward/mid Elizabeth Gousios has 30 goals and 13 assists while midfielder Sydney Pryor has notched 17 goals and 11 assists.

Advancement: The winner of the Central regional plays winner of Hampshire regional at the DeKalb sectional, Tuesday, May 24 4:30 p.m.

Sterling regional

Pairings: Game 1) No. 2 Kaneland vs. No. 8 Rochelle Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.; Game 2) No. 3 Dixon vs. No. 6 Sterling, 6:30 p.m.; Game 3) Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, Friday 6 p.m.

Outlook: The Knights will bus 67 miles down I-88 in hopes of a repeat title. Kaneland won at Sterling 6-0 this season and of its 14 wins its amassed 14 shutouts (13 in wins) with senior keeper Emily Chapman totaling 44 for her career. Kaneland's given up 7 goals in 20 games - 3 to Sycamore alone in 2 losses - and a back line of Taylor Zitkus, Rachael Lutter, Nicole Koczka and Taylor Emigh helped the Knights go. Gabby Cano has 10 goals while Kiandra Powell and Becca Richtman each have 9.

Advancement: The winner of the Sterling regional plays winner of Boylan regional at the DeKalb sectional Tuesday, May 24 6 p.m.

Hampshire regional

Pairings: Game 2) No. 2 Freeport vs. No. 9 Hampshire, Tuesday 5 p.m.; Game 3) No. 3 Belvidere vs. No. 6 Richmond-Burton 7 p.m.; Game 4) Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3, Friday 5 p.m.

Outlook: The Whips avenged a previous loss to the Thunder last Friday to play the Pretzels (9-8-1). Belvidere lurks on the other side and beat the Whips 8-0 at DeKalb's Barb Fest last month.

Advancement: The winner plays winner of Burlington Central regional at the DeKalb sectional, Tuesday, May 24 4:30 p.m.