Illinois State Series Preview: Class 3A

The IHSA state soccer tournament will kick off Friday afternoon and conclude Saturday. Class 1A finished up last week, where Wheaton Academy took home the title. Here's a preview of the 3A state semifinals and championship and schedule. The series will take place at Hoffman Estates High School in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. <strong>Friday</strong> <strong>5 p.m.: Lockport (19-1-1) vs. York (21-2-0)</strong> <strong>7 p.m.: Morton (21-1-3) vs. Fremd (20-2-1)</strong> The winners will play in the state championship at 1 p.m. Saturday. &nbsp; <strong>Lockport (19-1-1) vs. York (21-2-0)</strong> Lockport completed one of the most memorable playoff comebacks in recent history, scoring three goals in the final 20 minutes to defeat Collinsville 3-2 and end the St. Louis area team's 17-game unbeaten streak in the IHSA Super-Sectional. Kacper Janowski has led York to a win in 16 of their last 17 games as the program is headed to state for just the second time ever. Janowski netted the game-clincher against Huntley in the final minutes. Both programs have been on a roll lately and should create an intriguing matchup. <strong>Score Prediction:</strong> York 2, Lockport 1 &nbsp; <strong>Morton (21-1-3) vs. Fremd (20-2-1)</strong> By far the more intriguing matchup. Both programs are ranked Top 15 nationally. GK Daniel Martinez has been sensational in net for Morton lately and has only conceded one goal in the playoffs so far. He was in net for Morton's shootout victory over Benet Academy. Meanwhile, Gio Alvarez and Jonathan Murillo lead a stellar offense. The biggest advantage Fremd has is that it beat national power Marquette (Wis), a team Morton lost to 3-0. The Vikings recently avenged one of their losses this season by beating Barrington 4-0 in their sectional championship and red-hot OPRF in the Super-Sectional. Both teams have played spectacular lately. This game is honestly a coin toss. <strong>Score Prediction:</strong> Fremd 0, Morton 0, (Fremd advances on PK's) &nbsp; <strong>State Championship Score: Fremd 1, York 0</strong> The most efficient team in Illinois captures the state crown.