Boys soccer: Naperville North not afraid to put win streak in jeopardy

In case you haven't been following high school soccer the past few seasons, Naperville North has won three straight Class 3A championships.

As incredible of an accomplishment as winning a fourth straight would be, it's hard to bet against the Huskies, who return eight starters.

"The boys have compiled a 45-game winning streak, which we'll put into jeopardy right away this fall with numerous quality opponents out of the gate," Huskies coach Jim Konrad said.

The loss of goalkeeper Tommy Welch and defender Colin Iverson are huge, but Myles Barry and Christian Romano return to anchor the back line. Jason Barba replaces Welch. Midfielders Cesar Recendez, Zach Smith and Nata Rojas and the front line of Ty Konrad (Ohio State), Patrick Koenig (Bowling Green) and Aku Khorfan also return.

Among the rest of the DuPage Valley Conference field, only Metea Valley (13-6-2) had a winning season last year, so Neuqua Valley (8-8-2), Naperville Central (6-8-4) and Waubonsie Valley (4-13-1) look to be better.

The Mustangs remain strong in the midfield and senior Gandhi Cruz is back in goal.

"Great core of midfielders that are technically strong and will show a different style of play compared to what Metea has had in the past," Mustangs coach Josh Robinson said.

The Redhawks and Wildcats also have strength in the midfield but have their share of concerns. Naperville Central needs to rebuild its back line and will have a new goalkeeper. Neuqua Valley is going to rely on several underclassmen, and Waubonsie Valley hopes the progress it made last fall continues.

Lake Park nearly upset the Huskies in the Class 3A semifinals but just came up short. Still, behind 14 seniors, the Lancers brought home a fourth-place trophy and finished 21-5-3.

"Having graduated a large core of seniors from our starting lineup last season, we are excited to see the team and new individuals step up to contribute in games," Lancers coach Sean Crosby said.

Wheaton North (10-9-1) is the only area team in the DuKane Conference coming of a winning season. The Falcons lost some finesse but "have gained the pitbull mentality and have increased the energy of the team," according to coach Rob Stassen.

Both Wheaton Warrenville South and Glenbard North are coming off five-win seasons.

"This is a team that can be very dynamic in the attack," Panthers coach Spero Mandakas said.

The Tigers return 12 players but "the large question is who can provide the opportunities in the offensive third of the field," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said.

Coming off a sectional championship, Fenton (14-8-1) moves to the Upstate Eight Conference, joining Glenbard East, Glenbard South and West Chicago, among others.

Ivan Jaramillo returns to lead the Fenton offense, while Jason Fuentes, Konrad Madej and Ethan Rojas are back. West Chicago (9-10-5) had over 30 seniors try out and many were a part of the 2017 regional championship team. Glenbard South (8-11-2) was winless in conference and lost 12 seniors and eight starters. Glenbard East (5-6-4) will look to turn 10 losses/ties into victories with some new players in the mix.

Addison Trail, Benet, Hinsdale Central and Timothy Christian are all coming off regional championship campaigns.

Addison Trail coach Ryan Dini predicts a record of 12-6-2. The Blazers are coming off a regional title, 17 wins and welcome back a mix of experienced upperclassmen.

Downers Grove South (6-10-3) has a number of players back with varsity experience, including defenders Ethan Kelly and Peter Pierropolous, forward Aaron Venouziou and midfielder Enrique Gonzalez. Willowbrook (6-14) welcomes new coach Dan Riskind and eight players while Hinsdale South (2-22-1) was better than their record indicated last season and is more experienced and talented this fall.

Hinsdale Central (17-6) has leading scorer Aidan White back along with goalkeepers Ethan Turner and Nathan Goliak who combined for 10 shutouts. Other local teams of interest in the West Suburban Gold include York (14-6-1), Downers Grove North (9-10-5), Glenbard West (12-5-3).

The Dukes are, technically gifted and should be able to pressure opponents into mistakes. If they do that, replicating or exceeding last year's 14 wins is possible. Seniors Paolo Favuzzi, Parker Gawne, Joe Meade, Jack Musial and Ethan Oder return. The Trojans have great team chemistry.

The Hilltoppers return 14 players, including Jesus Meza and 10 other seniors.

Benet is in Class 2A this year, which will make the Redwings far more dangerous in the postseason. The Redwings return 14 players, including eight starters from a team that lost in a Class 3A sectional final on PKs to Lake Park.

Top teams: Addison Trail, Benet, Fenton, Glenbard West, Hinsdale Central, Metea Valley, Naperville North, West Chicago, York.

Top players: Leo Acosta, Addison Trail, sr., MF, Rohan Bhargava, Naperville Central, sr., MF, Josh Cohen, Glenbard South, sr., MF, Gandhi Cruz, Metea Valley, sr., GK, Joey Donovan, Metea Valley, sr., MF, Ode Emena, Glenbard North, sr., MF, Logan Finnegan, Wheaton Academy, sr., MF, Noah Glorioso, Waubonsie Valley, sr., F, Enrique Gonzalez, Downers Grove South, sr., MF, Josh Gonzaga, Montini, sr., MF, Hans Haenicke, Benet, sr., MF, Trygve Hansen, Downers Grove North, jr., MF, Anthony Hernandez, Addison Trail, jr., F, Jessie Hernandez, West Chicago, sr., MF/F, Ivan Jaramillo, Fenton, jr. F, Owen Jarrell, Naperville Central, sr., MF, Patrick Koenig, Naperville North, sr., F, Ty Konrad, Naperville North, sr., F, Konrad Madej, Fenton, sr., D, Dorian Mahone, Willowbrook, sr., MF/F, Jesus Meza, Glenbard West, sr., F, Grayden McClellan, Lake Park, sr., F, Joe Meade, York, sr., MF/F, Luke Molnar, Neuqua Valley, sr., GK, Martin Murillo, Addison Trail, sr., D, Jack Musial, York, sr., MF, Peter Pierropolous, Downers Grove South, sr., D, Cesar Recendez, Naperville North, sr., MF, Nick Renfro, Benet, sr., MF, Christian Romano, Naperville North, sr., D, Erik Rozanski, Wheaton North, jr., MF, Alonso Salinas, West Chicago, sr., D, Sam Schlegel, Wheaton Warrenville South, sr., D, Zach Smith, Naperville North, sr., MF, Aidan White, Hinsdale Central, sr., F