Early Takeaways from the Illinois Girls Soccer Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a quick look at some of my top notes from the opening two weeks of the girls soccer season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hot Start for Jordan Lange</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The North Central Commit plays well above the level she's committed to playing for next year. Lange has five goals and two assists in four games to start the year. Metea Valley hasn't lost a game in Illinois in nearly two years, and that streak continues on. Lange was the anchor to Metea Valley's state title last season and will lead the Mustangs on a run to another title this spring. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Plainfield North is Legit</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What a start it's been for the tigers. They kicked things off with a 7-0 thrashing of Sandburg and a 5-0 win against Glenbard West. After a draw to Metea Valley, they won the Wheaton North Tournament by knocking off ESCC power Benet 4-0. On Monday, they ran over Batavia 5-0. The Tigers have only conceded twice this season defensively, while there's numerous offensive contributors. Most notably is senior [player_tooltip player_id='22220' first='Tessa' last='Fagerson'] with four goals on the season. Plainfield North has at least 12 seniors on their squad too. Lastly, look out for freshman [player_tooltip player_id='103510' first='Carolina' last='Capizzi']. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Freshman to watch at Mother McAuley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mother McAuley, part of the GCAC, hasn't been relevant in recent years. But there's a dynamic freshman forward to look out for that might lead them in the right direction. Callie Edwards has 12 goals in four games on the young season. She's plays at a very high pace and has a quick burst to her game. McCauley is 4-0 with some key conference matchups waiting. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Look out for Carmel</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The corsairs are off to a quick 4-0 start with wins over Grayslake Central, Highland Park, Lake Forest, and Mudelein. Much of this early success is due to senior [player_tooltip player_id='32994' first='Emily' last='Fix']. The Marquette signee has 7 goals and an assist to begin the young season. This includes a last-minute goal to knock off Lake Forest 2-1. In addition, Junior [player_tooltip player_id='44755' first='Anna' last='Hartman'] has four of the teams seven assists on the young season. The Corsairs will have a big matchup with Benet Academy April 4th.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kiley McMinn Impressing in St. Louis Area</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the few remaining stars from the 2021 3A championship team, Kiley McMinn has put O'fallon on her back in 2023. She scored five goals in her first two contests and has the Lady Panthers unbeaten to start the year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->