The 2026 girls soccer season is fast approaching. Here are five storylines to watch in McHenry County as spring soccer arrives.

Can Huntley run the table in the FVC once again?

After finishing near the top of the conference standings in 2023 and 2024, the Red Raiders made their leap last spring, going undefeated to win the FVC title. Huntley’s success carried over to the playoffs, where the Raiders took down conference foe Jacobs to claim its third straight regional championship under coach Matt Lewandowski.

Huntley dominated conference play last spring, outscoring opponents 46-3 and opening FVC action with seven consecutive shutouts. The team landed seven all-conference athletes, and two of them, Maizie Nickle and Avery Suess, are back for 2026. Nickle also was named an IHSSCA All-State Field Player for her play last season.

The Raiders graduated nine seniors from last year’s varsity roster, but a talented upperclassman group should keep Huntley competitive.

Will Woodstock defend its KRC regular-season title?

Johnsburg, Richmond-Burton and Woodstock North all finished 4-2 in conference play, but Woodstock rose above the rest, going 5-1 to lock up the KRC regular season title. The Blue Streaks have typically fared well in conference competition, finishing no worse than fourth in each of the last nine seasons.

The KRC crown should feature another heated battle this spring. Johnsburg returns after a spectacular run to the Class 1A state finals, while Richmond-Burton has won four sectional titles in the last five seasons. Don’t count out Woodstock North, which is coached by Silmar Martinez, who led the boys team to a KRC title in the fall.

Woodstock graduated three all-conference players, including KRC Field Player of the Year Keira Bogott, from last year’s roster.

How will Johnsburg follow up its second-place state run?

The 2025 campaign was the best in Johnsburg’s history, as the Skyhawks reached the final four for only the third time. Behind all-conference players Liz Smith and Charlie Eastland, the Skyhawks charged through the 1A bracket, winning their third straight regional while adding only their third sectional and supersectional titles ever.

Johnsburg, which had lost its previous two state semifinal matches, made history when it knocked off Timothy Christian 2-1 and advanced to the finals for the first time. Johnsburg may have graduated seven seniors from its state finalist roster, but both Smith and Eastland are back for the Skyhawks this spring.

Can Crystal Lake Central make another postseason charge?

After placing second in the FVC, the Tigers made the deepest playoff run of any area team in Class 2A. Playing under then first-year coach Leah Rutkowski, who took the program over from state champion coach Sarah Fack, Crystal Lake Central went 18-5-2 and brought home its fourth sectional championship since 2019.

While the Tigers graduated all-conference players Lizzie Gray and Hadley Ferrero, they welcome back multiple all-conference honorees. Two of those honorees are Ella Bechler and Addison Schaffer, who each received all-sectional awards in 2025. Senior defender Kira Stavropoulos also returns for the Tigers.

How many all-conference players are returning?

Nineteen players who earned All-FVC honors last spring are back on the pitch. That list includes Huntley’s Maizie Nickle, the Northwest Herald’s 2025 Girls Soccer Player of the Year, who scored 24 goals with five assists. Nickle led the Red Raiders to their first FVC title since 2015, as well as the team’s third consecutive regional title.

The KRC graduated its 2025 Field Player of the Year, Keira Bogott. But Marengo’s Macy Noe, the 2025 Goalkeeper of the Year, returns for the Indians. Thirteen All-KRC players from the McHenry County area are back in action this season. Among them are Richmond-Burton’s Sydney Frericks and Harvard’s Julie Silva and Lila Amis, who were the only three players to earn All-KRC recognition as freshmen last year.