2025 Northwest Herald boys soccer team preview

Fox Valley Conference

Burlington Central

Coach: Dean Ames (second season)

Last season: 7-10-3, 1-7-1 FVC (ninth)

Top returners: Zach Batani, jr., D; Sam Knych, sr., M; David Mancera, jr., D; Noah Rosborough, sr., M/D

Key newcomers: Ethan Domaleczny, fr., D

Worth noting: The Rockets were firing on all cylinders early last year, winning five of their first six games. That success then stalled. “In the beginning of the conference schedule the injury bug bit us hard, taking out several key seniors for the season,” Ames said. “Our record down the stretch definitely took a hit due to their absence.” ... Rosborough is coming off a strong season of accolades (all-conference and Northwest Herald All-Area honorable mention), while Knych (eight goals, eight assists in 2024) also earned All-Area honorable mention.

Cary-Grove

Coach: Kyle Knar (first year)

Last season: 3-11-2, 0-7-2 FVC (10th)

Top returners: Angel Apaez, sr., GK/W; Theo Demas, sr., W; Jack Donoghue, sr., M; Ethan Doyle, sr., S; Ethan Ehlebracht, sr., D; Gerardo Garcia, sr., M; Bryce Nordengren, sr., D; Rylan Powers, so., W/D; Peter Szentendrei, jr., M

Key newcomers: Cristian Bautista, so., W; Will Bedoe, jr., M; Chris Hernas, fr., S; Seeley Delgado, so., D; Brandon Freund, sr., GK; Noah Gomez, sr., W; Daniel Nunez, so., D; Arturo Ortiz, so., S; Joe Riedel, jr., D; Brayden Schneider, so., D; Nathaniel Towa, so., GK; Daniel Zamora, so., W/D

Worth noting: Despite what last year’s record shows, the Trojans finished strong going 2-2-1 in the final five matches, which included topping No. 1 seed Grayslake Central in a regional semifinal. ... Apaez, who will also kick for C-G’s football team, is among nine returners, seven which are seniors. ... “Nordengren and Ehlebracht will lead the defense,” Knar said. “Donoghue and Garcia will return as a partnership in midfield. Doyle will look to lead the attack. Delgado and Schneider have impressed over the summer and will help shore up the defense. Hernas has impressed in his first week in the program as an attacking option.”

Crystal Lake Central

Coach: Leah Rutkowski (third season)

Last season: 15-5-1, 6-2-1 FVC (tied for third), Class 2A Lake Forest Regional champions

Top returners: Nathan Gray, jr., F; Joshua Hernandez, sr., D; Gavin Kane, jr. M; Ulisses Mateos, jr., F; Justin Moore, jr., D; Nick Pagonis, jr., M; Ryan Spencer, sr., F

Key newcomers: Talan Biggar, jr., M; Finnegan Dobbels, fr., D; Angel Perez, sr., D

Worth noting: Despite losing 10 seniors and many key pieces to their 2024 lineup, the Tigers will look for their returners, who took more of a back-seat role last year, to step into the driver’s seat along with newcomers who are ready to prove themselves. ... Gray tallied eight goals and four assists last year, earning All-Area honorable mention. ... “We know we are a group that relies heavily on contributions from every single player on the field, instead of relying on just a few guys,” Rutkowski said. “We place a huge emphasis on playing team soccer and know our strengths come from our chemistry and scrappiness. We are very balanced in our attack with goals spread out among the entire returning roster instead of just a couple guys.”

Crystal Lake South

Coach: Brian Allen (19th season)

Last season: 11-9-1, 6-2-1 FVC (tied for third)

Top returners: Dustin Banner, jr., F; Noah Dunteman, jr., GK; Pierce Johnson, sr., D; Josh Moreno, jr., F; Kaleb Nunnally, jr., D; Will Prus, jr., M; Will Witak, sr., D

Key newcomers: Ameer Ahmed, fr., F; Brady Hasselhoff, so., F; Charlie Oughletree, sr., GK; Jaidyn Rodriguez, jr., M; Jonathan Valencia-Vargas, jr., F

Worth noting: Dunteman (1.03 GAA, 8.5 shutouts last year), Johnson (70 career starts at center back) and Prus (five goals, nine assists last year) are three of the top starters coach Allen has back this fall. Johnson earned All-Area first-team honors and Dunteman earned honorable mention. Those two and Prus were named to the All-FVC team. ... Altogether, the Gators welcome back seven to the starting lineup. ... “A cohesive group that will look to get better each week,” said Allen, “and challenge each other to bring out the best in their abilities as people and players, so we can hopefully be playing some of our best and most consistent soccer come late September and October.” ... Banner and Moreno are back on the attack, which could get a boost from a few new forwards as well.

Dundee-Crown

Coach: Rey Vargas (22nd season)

Last season: 7-12-1, 4-5-1 FVC (fifth)

Top returners: Hugo Arista, sr., F/M; Arturo Flores, jr., M; Manuel Hernandez, sr., GK; Moises Rodriguez, sr., M; Mauricio Ruiz, jr., M; Sebastian Sanchez, sr., M

Key newcomers: Angel Landeros, so., D; Guadalupe Martinez, sr., D; Ryland Venezia, fr., F/M

Worth noting: Losing 2-1 to the hosts in the Class 3A Hampshire Regional semis certainly stung the Chargers late last October. They’ll look to turn that sting into inspiration to recharge them for a new season. ... Ruiz was named All-FVC. ... “We are looking to bounce back from a bad season and grow as a team,” Vargas said. “Losing in the regional last season left a bad memory for these boys, and having the majority of them back (including all-FVC player Ruiz in the midfield), they have something to prove.”

Hampshire

Coach: Chayanne Martinez (fifth season)

Last season: 11-12-2, 3-6 FVC (tied for seventh), Class 3A Hampshire Regional champions

Top returners: Kage Guge, so., F; Gavin Hedderich, so., M; Grayson Hedderich, sr., M; Lukianos Petropoulos, jr., M; Edgar Perez, so., D; Matthew Perez, jr., M; Brian Vega, jr., F; Kain Zavala, jr., D

Worth noting: Grayson Hedderich, Matthew Perez, Petropoulos and Zavala are in their respective third seasons with the Whip-Purs, while Gavin Hedderich, Vega, Guge, and Edgar Perez are back for their second while over a dozen new players are gearing up for their first season. ... Martinez said the team will welcome 16 new players. ... “We’re looking forward to starting a new season with a good size returning group,” Martinez said. “And a new group that is hungry for varsity soccer.”

Huntley

Coach: Matt Lewandowski (seventh season)

Last season: 14-7-4, 7-2 FVC (second), Class 3A Huntley Regional champions

Top returners: Lazar Karanovic, sr., D; Max Bauer, sr., M; Max Connell, sr., M; Noah Gomez, sr., D; Aktai Mametjanov, sr., F; Tyler Murray, jr., F; Daiven Trivedi, sr., M; Finley Williams, sr. M

Key newcomers: Cody Hammer, jr., M; Liam Nixon, jr., D; Oliver Sutyniec, sr., D

Worth noting: Huntley won its third regional title in four seasons, then lost to Elgin 4-0 in a Class 3A sectional final. ... All-FVC selections Bauer and Gomez (All-Area honorable mention) are among what coach Matt Lewandowski said is a “really strong core contingent of players that are hungry for success.” ... Mametjanov had seven goals for the Red Raiders, Connell added four goals and two assists, and Murray had three goals and two assists last season. ... “The boys have their sights set on being extremely competitive within the FVC and using those high-intensity games to take the next step into the postseason,” Lewandowski said.

Jacobs

Coach: Colin Brice (eighth season)

Last season: 7-10-6, 3-3-3 FVC (sixth)

Top returners: Ethan Aldrete, jr., M; Noah Anderson, sr., F: Andrew Deegan, sr., D; Jackson Foley, jr. F; Israel Guerrero, so., M; Victor Stoian, sr., M

Key newcomers: Jacob Christian, fr., M; Brayden Foley, fr., D

Worth noting: Losing all-conference goalkeeper Maksym Kharchenko certainly hurts the Golden Eagles, but with some strong talent back after another year of experience should bode well for them in the FVC. ... “We have a solid young core returning and believe we will be extremely competitive this season,” Brice said. “We have a tough nonconference schedule and believe that will help us out to compete in the FVC and the postseason.” ... Deegan was named All-Area honorable mention and All-FVC.

McHenry

Coach: Adam Bronars (second season)

Last season: 9-12, 3-6 FVC (tied for seventh)

Top returners: Keegan Adamson, sr., M; Mason Bertone, so., GK; Cody Bundy, sr., F; Cole Tapia, sr., M

Key newcomers: Dylan Fischler, so., D; Nathan Hunt, so., M; Miguel Rondon, sr., F

Worth noting: Now in his second season, Bronars will lead a Warriors team he is quite familiar with after spending a season with most of them last fall. “We have many players with experience,” Bronars said. “We are hoping that experience can help us in close matches and challenge for a regional title.” ... He also said the team has bonded early on, which is a major plus heading into the start of the season. “Players are working very hard as a team,” said Bronars, “and for each other.”

Prairie Ridge

Coach: Josef Schroeder (fourth season)

Last season: 20-5-1, 7-1-1 FVC (first), third place in Class 2A state

Top returners: Anthony Castro, sr., F; Trenton Pavoris, sr., M; Chris Zinevich, sr., GK

Key newcomers: Conor D’Antonio, jr., M; Andrew Eisch, jr., D; Bryce Schroeder, jr., M; Mateo Torres, sr., D; Alex Zinevich, so., M

Worth noting: With a third-place finish in the state in Class 2A, the Wolves are coming off the second-most successful season in program history and best since going undefeated and winning the Class A title in 2000. Losing 15 players to graduation from last year, including Northwest Herald 2024 Player of the Year Henry Knoll (25 goals), means others will need to step in and fill many roles. ... Schroeder said this year’s class of seniors is ready for their day in the sun. Prairie Ridge won the FVC title with a 2-1 win over McHenry in their final game. ... “They were big contributors to our run last year and are ready to leave their mark on Prairie Ridge soccer,” Schroeder said. ... Zinevich, who Schroeder said “may be one of the best and impactful keepers in the state,” is among the Wolves’ top returners.

Kishwaukee River Conference

Harvard

Coach: Victor Gonzalez (11th season)

Last season: 18-5-2, 7-0 KRC (first), KRC Tournament, Class 2A Harvard Regional champions

Top returners: Jesus Aquino, sr., M/F; Bryan Gorostieta, sr., F; David Mercado, sr., D; Luis Pichardo, sr., M; Jonathan Roldan, jr., D

Key newcomers: Eddie Fuentes, so., M/F; Tony Guadarrama, so., D/M/F; Osvaldo Nova, sr., Gk, Edgar Robles, sr., F

Worth noting: Harvard won back-to-back regional titles, defeating Cary-Grove, for the first time since 2011-12. ... Eddie and Miguel Fuentes are brothers, so are Jesus and Christian Aquino. Jesus Aquino had 10 goals and four assists last season. Bryan and Anthony Gorostieta are among the cousins on this close-knit squad. Bryan Gorostieta had eight goals last fall. ... Coming off their fourth straight KRC title, the Hornets are looking for sustained success. The team also won the KRC Tournament, overcoming two deficits to beat R-B. ... “We look forward to competing in conference once again this year,” Gonzalez said. “We want to do better in our tournaments than we have in the past. We want to compete for the KRC Tournament championship again. We also want to compete in the postseason.” ... Jesus Aquino was one of seven all-conference selections for Harvard last year, but the only one not to graduate.

Johnsburg

Coach: Austin Sierakowski (second season)

Last year’s record: 5-16, 2-5 KRC (tied for sixth)

Top returners: Liam Niederhofer, jr., D/M; Miles Davis, jr., M; Kainoa Ancog, sr., M; Lukas Folden, sr., D/M; Josiah Obafemi, jr., D/M; Jose Garcia, sr., M/F; Charlie Oeffling, so., M/F

Key newcomers: Will Stackhouse, fr., F; Chase Stark, fr., GK

Worth noting: Johnsburg beat North Boone 5-0 and lost to Richmond-Burton 7-0 in the Class 1A playoffs. The team won regional titles in 2022 and 2023 and a sectional title in 2023. ... “The Skyhawks will be a young team with a lot of new players who have little varsity experience,” Sierakowski said. “There is going to be a big learning curve, but we are excited for the potential that these boys have. Our focus this season is to build confidence, improve every day and build a positive culture around the program. The team took its lumps with a lot of youth seeing a lot of action on the pitch, but that youth has another year of experience now.”

Marengo

Coach: Sergio Orozco (eighth season)

Last season: 10-12-1, 3-4 KRC (fifth)

Top returners: Myles Aukes, sr., D; Yared Barranco, jr., D; Noah Hernandez, sr., GK; Kevin Kaczkos, so., D; Luis Lievano, sr., M; Alan Morales, jr., D; Blake Ritter, so., F; Sam Tucker, jr., M

Key newcomers: Gavin Beto, fr., D; Andres Gonzales, fr., M

Worth noting: The Indians are excited about some of their young new talent, which will include at least three freshmen. Those newcomers will look to mesh with the returning talent, including defenders Aukes, Barranco, Kaczkos and Morales. They’ll offer protection for senior goalkeeper Noah Hernandez but need to find goal scoring. ... “This group has been working very hard to continue to build off of last year’s loss in the regional championship game,” Orozco said. ... The Indians are shooting for their first winning season in 14 years as they went 9-8-4 when they last accomplished doing so in 2011.

Richmond-Burton

Coach: Casey DeCaluwe (15th season)

Last season: 20-4-1, 5-2 KRC (tied for second), Class 1A Marian Central Regional champions

Top returners: Johann Boentges, jr., M; Dane Gardner, sr. M; Will Gardner, so., F: Nate Johnsen, jr., M; Nick Kyes, jr., F; Nate Larson, sr., D; Trey Maziarz, jr., D; Chase Miller, jr., D; Brayden Mumbower, so., M; Travis Roberts, jr., D; Forest Wells, jr., D; Easton Wold, jr., GK

Worth noting: R-B beat Marian Central to capture back-to-back regional titles. ... The Rockets outscored teams 115-14 last year and 37% of their goals come from Kyes, who was playing in his first season and earned All-Area first-team and All-KRC honors. Kyes had 43 goals and delivered 16 assists to lead the KRC. He’ll have quite a few experienced players around him. ... “While losing a strong 2024 senior class, we are looking to build on the momentum that we built in the last two years,” DeCaluwe said. “The boys have been working hard during the offseason and have come in ready to go. The group has high expectations and we are working to build each day to get to where we believe we could be at the end of the season.”

Woodstock

Coach: Santiago Rubio (third season)

Last season: 12-12, 5-2 KRC (tied for second)

Top returners: Eric Jacinto, sr., F; Krishna Patel, sr., M

Key newcomer: Eddie Hernandez, fr., M

Worth noting: The Blue Steaks graduated a large class of senior contributors that helped lead them to a Body Armor Tournament title and second place in the KRC during the regular season and tournament. That includes five senior all-conference selections, three from the backline and their goalkeeper. “We graduated a great group of seniors,” Rubio said. “We are rebuilding the team. We need to work hard to be able to reach our past level of competitiveness.”

Woodstock North

Coach: Silmar Martinez (first year)

Last season: 7-19, 4-3 KRC (fourth)

Top returners: Christian Arellano, sr., M: Barek Blue, so., D; Alberto Carbajal, sr., F; Cole Morrison, sr., D; Zach Niese, so., F; Ethan Richardson, jr., M; Cesar Salas, jr., F; Saul Santana, so., F; Jorge Tapia, jr., M

Key newcomers: Alex Carbajal, so., GK; Angel Ochoa, so., F; Anthony Porcayo, fr., F; Jayden Tapia, jr., D

Worth noting: Martinez is excited about building the program up at Woodstock North in his first year. “We have a young team, but many of these players have been competing together for a while, so the chemistry is already there,” he said. “What stands out most is their eagerness. From the coaching staff to the players, everyone wants to accomplish something meaningful for our school. ... We’re looking forward to competing, improving every day, and showing that Thunder soccer is moving in the right direction. I have confidence in these boys. They will work hard and turn heads this year.” ... Santana earned all-conference honors last year. Santana and Morrison were named All-Area honorable mention.

Chicagoland Christian Conference

Marian Central

Coach: Art Dixon (ninth season)

Last season: 7-8-1, 3-3 CCC (fourth)

Top returners: Luke Aragona, sr., M/D/F; Jan Bajda, sr., M/F; Mac DeLozier, so., M/F; Dustin Emmert, so., GK; Andrew Lingle, so., M/D; Johnny Patyk, jr., D/F; Finn Piefer, sr. D; Jacob Schug, jr., D/M

Key newcomers: Antonio Aguirre, sr., M/F; Colin Caruso, fr., M; Mason DeLozier, fr., M/F; Gianni Ferrioli, so., M/F, Pete Mercurio, sr., M

Worth noting: The Hurricanes have some key players back, but they also lost 14 players, so Dixon said they “are going through a rebuild from last year,” and will use another tough season in the Chicagoland Christian Conference to prepare for the postseason. ... “We are a young team that has the potential of making some noise this season,” he said. ... Schug and Emmert (148 saves against 38 goals) earned All-Area honorable mention.