There will be no shortage of good soccer in the Naperville area this spring with three local teams ranked among the Tribune’s top 15.
Naperville North, a fourth-place finisher in last year’s state tournament, was ranked No. 3 while Naperville Central was No. 4 in the Tribune’s preseason rankings. Neuqua Valley was rated among the Best of the Rest. Waubonsie Valley, while unranked, hopes to contend for top Upstate Eight honors.
The season culminates with the state soccer finals at Naperville Central, set for June 2 and 3.
Here’s a capsule glance at five area programs:
Naperville North
Aileen Guiney, the leading scorer from last year’s Huskie team, has graduated, but set to take her spot is highly regarded freshman Rachel Sauerbrun. Back on board are Michigan State-bound Shannon Grimley, who had 22 goals, second-highest on the team; senior Courtney Strzala (10 goals); and senior defender Amy Walsh.
Naperville Central
The Redhawks graduated 12 players from last year’s 21-2-2 group, but there is plenty of talent from both veterans and varsity newcomers. Central’s offense should be strong, but the defense is untested. Top returnees include senior forward Katie Long, last year’s top scorer until suffering a broken foot; senior defender and four-year starter Maggie Nowicki; junior forward Jeanna Falduto; and midfielders Ashley Caselli, a junior, and Julie Thompson, a sophomore, who could be among the top players the program has produced.
Neuqua Valley
Forwards Jennifer Makowski and Kristen Weissenhoffer are part of the Wildcats’ first senior class, and they should provide seasoned leadership for this up-and-coming program.
Waubonsie Valley
The Warriors, 15-5-4 last year, return all-conference goalie Shaunna Daugherty, but they will have a new defense that will take time to develop. Sophomore midfielder Kristen Zmijewski had 14 goals while junior forward Lauren Kahlenbeck had 13 goals and 9 assists. Both were all-conference.
Benet Academy
The Redwings were 6-14 last spring and are off to an 0-2 start, but head coach Henry Wind sees better prospects as his young group becomes more seasoned.
Leading returnees include senior forward Courtney Lewis (7 goals, 6 assists) and senior midfielder Katie Heller (4 goals).
