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FOX VALLEY CONFERENCE
Cary-Grove
Coach: Ray Krystal (15th season)
2019 season: 14-3-1; co-FVC champions; Class 3A regional champions
Top returners: Jordan Dale, sr., M; Lauren Passaglia, sr., GK; Sydney Schmidt, sr., GK; Katie Jannusch, jr., M; Kate Larry, sr., M.
Key newcomers: Jenny Nunez, sr., D/M; Sarah McGee, sr., D; Carly Splitt, sr., M; Kathryn Thompson, sr., D; Kayla Bork, sr., GK.
Worth noting: The Trojans have won three consecutive Class 3A regional titles. Both the 2018 and 2019 seasons ended in a run to the sectional championship game. … Cary-Grove senior standout forward Jenna Stayart will play in college at Tennessee, but is not participating in the high school season this spring. … This year’s Trojans team includes a large group of seniors who “are tremendously supportive of each other and are excited to be playing their final season for Cary-Grove,” coach Ray Krystal said.
Crystal Lake Central
Coach: Sarah Fack (fifth season)
2019 season: 19-4; co-FVC champions; Class 2A regional and sectional champions
Top returners: Nora Ryan, sr., GK; Emma Bolanowski, sr., F; Maddie Anderson, sr., D; Katie Hopkins, sr., M; Mia Pfeifer, sr., M; Sam Sander, jr., M; Sophie Kershaw, jr., D; Katie Barth, so., M.
Key newcomers: Olivia Anderson, fr.; Gwyneth Brickey, so.; Brooklynn Carlson, fr.; Addison Cleary, fr.; Madeline Gray, fr.; Paiton Hulata, fr.; Kalissa Kaiser, fr.; Jillian Mueller, fr.; Sadie Quinn, fr.; Skyler Wolfgram, jr.
Worth noting: Crystal Lake Central had a historic season in 2019, setting a program record with 19 wins, winning the program’s first sectional title, and was poised to have a deep team again in 2020 before the season was shut down. … Although the Tigers will be young, the expectations remain high, according to coach Sarah Fack. “Our newcomers are going to take some by surprise,” Fack said. “And the returners we have are a very strong group.” … Bolanowski was a Northwest Herald All-Area Second-Team performer as a sophomore in 2019, while Ryan was an honorable mention. They will provide senior leadership. Bolanowski led the 2019 Tigers in scoring with 19 goals.
Crystal Lake South
Coach: Kyle McCaughn (second season)
2019 season: 6-13-1
Top returners: Emma Chudik, sr., M; Claire Christopher, sr., D; Bella Farrington, jr., F; Elise Gorman, jr., M; Peyton Dacy, jr., D; Megan Langdon, jr., D; Liz DeBoer, sr., M; Ashley McCarthy, sr., D; Lindsay Osterberg, so., D; Claudia Kaczmarczyk, so., M.
Key newcomers: Sam McDaniel, sr., D; Jocelyn Lopez, sr., M; Hailey Webb, jr., M; Kaitlyn Elwart, jr., D/GK; Maddie Zilm, so., D/GK; Mackenzie Resch, fr., D; Carly Gorman, fr., M; Sydney Kroening, fr., M; Caitlyn Kopera, fr., M.
Worth noting: Coach Kyle McCaughn, the former Gators girls basketball coach from 2001 to 2014, was set to coach the Gators girls soccer team for the first time last season before the pandemic. … Chudik scored nine goals for the Gators as a sophomore in 2019. She will play college soccer at Division II Winona State next year. … The Gators have a relatively young team, with only six seniors on the varsity roster. … Although South won only six games in 2019, it was the program’s first losing season since 2012.
Dundee-Crown
Coach: Payton Berg (second season)
2019 season: 9-9-1
Top returners: Alejandra Melo, sr., M; Katherine Raby, jr., M.
Key newcomers: Brianna Ruvalcaba, so., F; Ashley McAtee, fr., GK.
Worth noting: Last season should’ve been coach Payton Berg’s first as girls soccer coach at Dundee-Crown before the season was canceled. She takes over for former head coach Sebastian Falinski, who now teaches and coaches the boys team at Mundelein. … D-C has many new varsity players, according to Berg. … Melo should help the Chargers on both the offensive and defensive ends. … McAtee steps into the goalkeeper position as a freshman.
Hampshire
Coach: Kelly Madison (second season)
2019 season: 1-16-3
Top returners: Maisie McNamee, sr.; Kortney Fairwood, jr.; Krystal Konajeski, jr.; Rory Byhre, sr.
Worth noting: Coach Kelly Madison was hired as head coach prior to the 2020 season and will finally get to coach her team this spring in real games. … Hampshire returns just a handful of players with varsity experience. Overall, this will be a young team with only four seniors on the roster. … Maisie McNamee brings varsity experience to the goalkeeper position.
Huntley
Coach: Matt Lewandowski (fourth season)
2019 season: 10-9-2
Top returners: Ashley Donselaar, sr., F; Anna Garofalo, jr., M; Annabel Johnson, sr., F; Morgan Alpert, sr., F; Hannah Helzer, jr., M; Alexis Winger, sr., D; Alessandra Rivera, sr., D.
Key newcomers: Grace Helzer, so., M; Gabby Rivera, so., F.
Worth noting: Last time Huntley girls soccer saw the field, it came agonizingly close to bringing home some hardware in a 1-0 loss to South Elgin in a Class 3A regional final in 2019. … Huntley graduated about a dozen seniors in 2020. They unfortunately never played their senior season on what was sure to be an experienced Red Raiders team. … Even with all that senior leadership gone, coach Matt Lewandowski thinks his team has a “solid group of returners leading very skilled newcomers.”
Jacobs
Coach: Colin Brice (interim)
2019 season: 13-10-1
Top returners: Emma Miller, sr.; Mia Kraft, sr.; Liz Pasetes, sr.; Lindsey Cepa, sr.; Amber Fink, jr.; Delaney Roimiser, so.
Key newcomers: Delaney Lukowski, fr.; Liz Kim, so.; Isabella Mickey, fr.; Lindsay Rebodos, fr.
Worth noting: Brice, the boys soccer coach at Jacobs, is filling in for head coach Stephanie Schuck while she is on maternity leave this spring. … The Golden Eagles have a young team, but Brice is optimistic about the young talent on the roster. … Cepa and Miller were both sophomores on varsity two years ago when Jacobs lost a wild Class 3A regional championship game, 5-4, against Hononegah. That 2019 Jacobs team finished fourth in the FVC. … Cepa will play college soccer at Division III Aurora University.
McHenry
Coach: Andrew Stegenga (fifth season)
2019 season: 5-16-1
Top returners: Gracie Gasmann, sr., M; Olivia Sacchitello, sr., M; Ella Ruppenthal, jr., D; Jessica Luedtke, jr., D; Evelyn Corona, jr., F; Madison Fray, jr., D/M; Sophia Gasmann, jr., D.
Key newcomers: Emerson Gasmann, so., GK; Jocelyn Corona, so., D; Sarah Duginske, so., D; Becca D’Agostino, so.; Ashley Wachter, sr., F; Maya Gill, fr., D/M; Elena Carlos, fr.
Worth noting: This year’s Warriors will be a young team, with only three seniors on the roster. … McHenry is “looking to build off the group of freshmen we had last year,” coach Andrew Stegenga said. “Excited for the incoming freshmen to have an immediate impact on the team.” … McHenry has three sets of sisters on the team with three Gasmann girls and two Corona sisters as well as sisters Jasmine and Jessica Ortiz.
Prairie Ridge
Coach: Mark Lewis (third season)
2019 season: 20-2-1; co-FVC champions; Class 2A regional title
Top returners: Alexis Celentano, so.; Sam Gablenz, sr.; Chelsea Gale, sr.; Ellie King, so.; Abby Kirk, jr.; Lucy Klimkowski, sr.; Grace Marineau, sr.; Mackenzie Nelson, jr.; Rosie Rojewski, sr; Delaney Todd, sr.
Key newcomers: Camille Keaty, jr.; Addison Meyer, fr.; Olivia Roth, so.; Brittany Shabino, sr.; Addison Taege, fr.; Grace Wolf, fr.
Worth noting: With participation numbers low, head coach Mark Lewis plans to spend more time focusing on building the program from the JV level. Assistant coach Justin Brown will be heavily involved with the varsity team. “I just want to make sure we have a healthy program,” Lewis said. … Gablenz jumped into the starting goalkeeper position as a freshman in 2018 with little experience at the position. She will now primarily serve as a forward, the position she played throughout her club career and where she will play in college at Division II Wisconsin-Parkside. … Klimkowski had eight assists as a sophomore in 2019. Gale was also a key contributor as a sophomore two years ago. … Not counting the canceled 2020 season, Prairie Ridge has won eight consecutive Class 2A regional titles.
KISHWAUKEE RIVER CONFERENCE
Harvard
Coach: Victor Gonzalez (sixth season)
2019 season: 4-14-4; Class 1A regional champions
Top returners: Alexia Posada, sr., M; Lizbeth Pichardo, sr., D; Lizeth Gonzalez, sr., F; Jenny Menodza, sr., M; Jasmin Morales, sr., M.
Key newcomers: Banesa Juarez, jr., M; Wendy Cifuentes, jr., D; Yasmine Estrada, so., GK.
Worth noting: After winning only two games in the 2019 regular season, Harvard pulled off back-to-back victories to win a Class 1A regional title. It was the first regional title in program history. … Two years later, coach Victor Gonzalez said the team is just happy to have a season. “[We] want to stay competitive,” Gonzalez said. … The Hornets have a good mix of seniors who will provide experience. Senior Alexia Posada plans to play in college at Division III North Park University in Chicago.
Johnsburg
Coach: Adam Bronars (fourth season)
2019 season: 3-12-1
Top returners: Jade Schwichow, sr., M; Saida Blount, sr., F.
Worth noting: Johnsburg coach Adam Bronars said he is looking for improvement every day. … The Skyhawks struggled in 2019, but did rebound in the postseason to win their Class 1A regional opener. They eventually lost to Richmond-Burton in a regional championship game.
Marengo
Coach: Courtney Callahan (fourth season)
2019 season: 5-11-3
Top returners: Katelin Cassan, sr.; Rachel Barron, sr.; Isabella Neurock, sr.; Fatimah Becovic, sr.; Natalie Gonzalez, sr.
Key newcomers: Jennifer Heinberg, sr.
Worth noting: With 12 seniors on the varsity roster, Marengo has its share of veteran leadership. … Senior Jennifer Heinberg joins the soccer team for the first time after earning 2021 Northwest Herald Girls Basketball Player of the Year honors for her performance on the basketball court this spring. With basketball All-State honors as well, she will bring athleticism to the soccer field.
Richmond-Burton
Coach: Casey DeCaluwe (seventh season)
2019 season: 7-10-2; Class 1A regional champions
Top returners: Rosie Felch, sr., D; Hannah Schleibinger, sr., GK; Amber Houle, sr., D.
Key newcomers: Reese Frericks, so., F; Margaret Slove, so., F; Madi Havlicek, so., D; Rachel Mendlik, fr., M; Ella Pipes, fr., D; Layne Frericks, fr., M; Ember Demers, fr., D; Brianna Maldonado, fr., M; Taylor Labay, fr., GK.
Worth noting: In its first match against Antioch (a 3-3 draw), R-B started seven freshmen, three sophomores and a senior. Needless to say, this is a young Rockets team. … “The girls have worked very hard in the offseason getting ready for the season and we look to be playing our best soccer by the time the IHSA tournament begins,” coach Casey DeCaluwe said. … When they last saw the field, the Rockets were winning their fourth regional title in five seasons. Three of those four regional titles came in Class 1A, with the other coming in 2A.
Woodstock
Coach: Matt Warmbier (fourth season)
2019 season: 13-8-1
Top returners: Celia Tafoya, sr., M; Reese Freund, jr., D.
Key newcomers: Val Sardelli, fr., GK; Shea Behrens, so., D; Becca Janiga, so., M; Tania Sanchez, so., M; Natalie Morrow, fr., M.
Worth noting: Only three players remain with varsity experience from two years ago. Celia Tafoya scored 12 goals and had 14 assists as a sophomore in 2019. … Burlington Central moving over to the FVC should make the KRC race interesting. Woodstock and Woodstock North have been the next two teams in the KRC standings over the past couple seasons. … Coach Matt Warmbier said he hopes his team can gel and learn to play together.
Woodstock North
Coach: John Liuzzi (fourth season)
2019 season: 12-12-3
Top returners: Hannah Fink, sr, GK; Lauren Chaney, sr., D; Meaghan Walsh, sr., D; Mackenzie Rogers, jr., M; Kate Ward, jr., F; Gracie Zankle, so., M.
Key newcomers: Addison Rishling, fr., F.
Worth noting: In 2018 and 2019, Woodstock North won 14 and 12 games, respectively, marking the first double-digit victory seasons in program history. … Coach John Liuzzi believes his roster is balanced and can compete in the KRC. … Fink was a mid-season call-up from the JV squad in 2019 as a sophomore. Now a senior, she brings experience in goal.
EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
Marian Central
Coach: Brittany Solomon (third season)
2019 season: 2-15
Top returners: Ingrid Reyes, sr., D; Jenna Knapp, sr., D; Maggie Gillaspie, sr., D;
Worth noting: The Hurricanes have 11 total seniors on the roster, but only a couple of players with varsity experience. … When they last saw the field, the Hurricanes struggled to score mightily in 2019. Early in the 2021 season, they have already changed that narrative with a 3-0 win over Romeoville and a 4-0 win over Waukegan in the season’s first weekend.