An early look at emerging teams in Illinois this season

Here are some observations from the opening week of Illinois high school girls soccer: <strong>Naperville Central is the best team in Chicagoland (for now)</strong> Ed Watson is coaching his 30th and final season for the Redhawks. He’s one of the winningest coaches in IHSA history. But he’s missing something on his resume: a state championship. Watson’s last dance has been impressive so far. They beat fellow sectional contenders Oswego East 1-0 and Burlington Central 6-0 to start their season. Then, they went down to St. Louis and picked up two more statement wins. GK Abby O’Connor has yet to concede a goal. Molly O’Rear (5 goals) and [player_tooltip player_id="22050" first="Megan" last="Norkett"] (4 goals, 2 assists) lead the team up top. The back line, led by Sam Sharp, Ella Burke, and [player_tooltip player_id="22209" first="Sophia" last="Skoubis"], has impressed. The team is very balanced with stars all over the field. <strong>The 3A North Suburbs are deep</strong> Last spring, Libertyville and New Trier squared off in a 3A super-sectional that highlighted two of the most elite programs in the north suburbs. But their road there wasn't easy, especially for New Trier. The top six seeds from the New Trier sectional feature regular Top 20 programs each season. Loyola, Glenbrook North, Glenbrook South, Evanston, and Lane Tech joined the Trevians in that group. It's likely the six will all be paired together this year. As for Libertyville, the Wildcats had to face Top 20 contenders such as Buffalo Grove, Stevenson, Warren, and Fremd. It's very possible they all get paired in the same sectional and super-sectional again this season. That's a total of 11 top-notch programs fighting for one birth in the state championship series. <strong>Andrew is scary in the South Suburbs</strong> Andrew has become the early favorite to come out of the south suburban 3A sectional this season. Led by their senior leader Leah Crotty, the T-Bolts are off to a fast 3-0 start in the Windy City Ram Classic. Lots of players have contributed so far. Ten players have scored and nine have assisted. Sophomore Taylor London is taking on a larger role with three assists and two goals to her name so far. The defense has conceded only once this season. Don't be surprised if Andrew makes a deep run this season. <strong>Jordan Lange, Metea Valley are severely overlooked</strong> The Mustangs have started strong. Not only did they pick up statement wins over Oswego and Sandburg, but they went on the road and beat Catholic power Benet 2-1. Jordan Lange is becoming a household name around the area for Metea. The junior is very quick in space and an elite playmaker when she has the ball. Lange scored both goals against Benet. She added two more in a 6-0 rout over south suburban power Sandburg and dished two assists against Oswego. Metea has won several regional championships in the past decade. But with 10 returning starters, could this be the year they make a deeper run?