Spring Preview: Illinois Teams to Watch (Part 1)

The Illinois high school girls soccer season kicks off in less than two weeks. Three St. Louis-area schools, Triad, Althoff Catholic, and Marquette, will all look to defend state titles. But other programs around the state have what it takes to make deep runs this season. Here's a first look at some programs to watch this season: <strong>O’Fallon</strong> Nowhere better to start than the defending 3A champions. Only three seniors graduated from O’Fallon’s squad last season. The defending 3A champions knocked off Libertyville and Lyons in the state series last June and are early favorites to repeat this spring. Numerous Division I commits headline the roster in [player_tooltip player_id="32977" first="Avery" last="Christopher"] (Western Kentucky), [player_tooltip player_id="32982" first="Mackenzie" last="James"] (Western Michigan), [player_tooltip player_id="23372" first="Anna" last="Chor"] (UTEP), and junior [player_tooltip player_id="23494" first="Kiley" last="McMinn"] (Marquette). O'Fallon will face the 1A champ Althoff Catholic in an early-season contest on March 16 and again on March 31. <strong>Naperville Central</strong> Coach Ed Watson enters his 30th season at the Redhawks helm. The 2022 squad showed plenty of promise in 2021 with a large group returning. Lots of players plan to play DI or high DIII soccer. Naperville Central might have the best defense in Illinois led by [player_tooltip player_id="22209" first="Sophia" last="Skoubis"] (Missouri), [player_tooltip player_id="32999" first="Sarah" last="McCracken"] (North Dakota), Ella Burke, Sam Sharp, and goalkeeper Abby O’Connor. Two leading scorers also return in Valparaiso commit Molly O’Rear (18 goals, 6 assists) and junior [player_tooltip player_id="22050" first="Megan" last="Norkett"] (10 goals, 17 assists), who verbally committed to Northwestern. The home game with Naperville North on April 18 will be a good one to watch. <strong>Barrington</strong> One of the biggest state powerhouses in recent years finished fourth in Class 3A in 2021. Junior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id="22081" first="Brooke" last="Brown"] is one of the state's best playmakers. She dished 13 assists as a sophomore. Kate Lubinsky (3 goals, 5 assists), Riley Raynor (12 goals, 8 assists), and Nicole Gwiasda (5 goals, 3 assists) will contribute to another potential deep run. Junior Ellie Sanchez also flashed lots of potential. Look out for freshman forward [player_tooltip player_id="33353" first="Piper" last="Lucier"] and sophomore forward Kaitlyn Taylor. A showdown with Naperville North will headline the opening day. <strong>Althoff Catholic</strong> Althoff Catholic is arguably the best small-school program in Illinois. The defending 1A state champs have plenty of firepower returning. Regan Moody was one of the biggest stars of the state series last spring after scoring four goals in the first half of the championship game. Seniors Kylie Petroski and Leah Crotty also add a lot of experience. Junior Emma Tell will lead a solid back line. Expect some younger players to also take part. Althoff Catholic will play 3A champs O’Fallon on March 19 and 2A champs Triad on April 16. <strong>Warren</strong> Won a regional title in a deep sectional last season. Five Division I commits headline the roster. F [player_tooltip player_id="32986" first="Ella" last="Skelton"] (Loyola Chi.) scored 21 goals and dished 11 assists as a junior. [player_tooltip player_id="32984" first="Samantha" last="Pullins"] (Purdue) and Kylie Mahoney (E. Illinois) will lead the midfield. [player_tooltip player_id="32978" first="Athena" last="McGinn"] (North Dakota) can play anywhere on defense. Goalkeeper Patricia Georgiou (UIC) is poised for a stellar senior campaign. Should be one of the favorites in another deep 3A sectional in the north suburbs. <strong>Deerfield</strong> Deerfield will be looking to capture a 2A sectional after coming up short against St. Viator last season. Besides the goalkeeper, no regular starters are gone. Four-year starter Riley Schimanski scored 20 goals last season while senior Holly Deutsch had 23 assists. Sophomore Emily Fox shows plenty of promise after scoring 17 goals her freshman year. All-conference defenders Ally Linn and Katie Morgan will round out a solid Warrior group. Three freshmen will play varsity and look out for sophomore Lauren Gottlieb in goal. New Trier, St. Ignatius, Payton, Fenwick, Whitney Young, and Warren are all on the schedule this season. <strong>Metea Valley</strong> Metea Valley won a regional championship in the loaded west suburban sectionals. A very strong junior core returns. Kaylee Bannack is a very skilled winger with excellent touch and speed. Junior forwards [player_tooltip player_id="22221" first="Tyra" last="King"] and Jordan Lange brings quickness, speed, and athleticism up top. Senior GK Julia Straub provides leadership and experience on defense with all-conference defender Addison Wargo. The school's lower-level programs were excellent last season and new players from those teams should contribute at the varsity level this spring.