Boys soccer: Scouting Libertyville vs. Collinsville
Class 3A state semifinal
Libertyville (21-0) vs. Collinsville (19-5-2)When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Hoffman Estates High School
Head coaches: Kevin Thunholm (Libertyville, second year, 41-1-2); Rob Lugge (Collinsville, second year, 36-13-2)
How Libertyville got here: Defeated Palatine, 7-1, and Stevenson, 7-0, in Libertyville regional; defeated Fremd, 2-1, and Lake Zurich, 2-0, in Barrington sectional; defeated St. Patrick, 2-1, in Barrington supersectional
How Collinsville got here: Defeated Granite City, 4-0, and Quincy Sr., 3-0, in Collinsville regional; defeated Edwardsville, 2-1, and Normal Community, 2-1, in Collinsville sectional; defeated Chicago Mt. Carmel, 2-0, in Bradley-Bourbonnais supersectional
Libertyville's tournament history: The Wildcats are making their sixth appearance at state, third in four years and second in a row. They lost to Naperville North, 1-0, in last year's Class 3A state championship game, ending their undefeated season, as they finished with a 20-1-2 record under first-year coach Kevin Thunholm. Libertyville won the Class 3A state championship in 2015 under coach Andy Bitto.
Collinsville's tournament history: The Kahoks are making their ninth appearance at state but first since 2007. Before that, they hadn't been to state since 1996. They have won 4 state championships (1981, 1986, 1991, 1992).
Skinny on Libertyville: The Wildcats find themselves in the same position they did as last year, when they entered their state semifinal against Bradley-Bourbonnais with no losses. They won, 2-1, before seeing Naperville North dash their state-title hopes. Gone from last season is prolific scorer Ryan Wittenbrink (Indiana University), who earned All-America honors, but the Wildcats are led by another player having an All-America caliber campaign in Evan Rasmussen. The University of Michigan-bound Rasmussen, a 6-foot-2 senior midfielder/forward, has a team-leading 33 goals and 14 assists. Senior defender Grant Herbek (DePaul University commit) has contributed 1 goal and 11 assists and leads a defense that has helped goalkeepers Zach El Ghatit and Hunter Lynch post 9 shutouts. Libertyville's offensive attack also boasts junior midfielder Mickey Reilly (13 goals, 11 assists), senior midfielder Tanner Kelly (11 goals, 10 assists), junior midfielder Patrick Grahm (6 goals, 9 assists), senior midfielder Jack VanDixhorn (2 goals, team-leading 16 assists) and senior defender Mason Williams (3 goals, 7 assists).
Skinny on Collinsville: Senior midfielder and team captain Luke Liljegren and senior forward Logan Whitehead lead the Kahoks offensively with 15 and 14 goals, respectively. Senior midfielder Zane Baker has 9 goals and a team-best 10 assists. Senior Tate Wyatt starts in goal for the Kahoks, who have 12 shutouts, including three in five postseason matches.
Advancement: The winner plays the winner between Naperville North (24-0) and Lake Park (21-3-3) in the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday. The loser plays the loser between Naperville North and Lake Park in the third-place game at 5 p.m. Saturday.