Going into the final weekend of the boys soccer playoffs held today and Saturday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, Neuqua Valley has 21 wins. If the Wildcats increase their total to 23 by Saturday night, the second boys soccer title in school history will be marched down Wildcat Way.
After surviving the Naperville Central Sectional, which Neuqua coach Jim Johns refers to it as "a meat grinding sectional," and defeating a tough Hinsdale Central team 3-0, the Wildcats (21-4-2) look to get back into the state finals for the second consecutive year. Last year, the Wildcats lost to Barrington in three overtimes.
This year though, the Wildcats have an entirely new look. Only six players return from last year's state runner-up team. The returning players combined to score just 26 of the team's 72 total goals, and losing the 2007 Sun Player of the Year, Bret Hruby, was the biggest blow to the Wildcats because he scored a team-leading 22 goals and added six assists.
However, the 2008 Wildcats didn't use that as an excuse as the returning players and new players stepped up to fill the scoring void.
Three Wildcats have hit double digits in goals, led by key returner Bryan Ciesiulka, who has 17 goals and 14 assists.
Ciesiulka scored two of the three goals against Hinsdale Central and had the lone goal against Benet in the regional semifinals.
Also for the Wildcats, Scott Davis has 13 goals to go along with five assists while Ian Krol has 11 goals and four assists.
If the offense isn't clicking, the Wildcats can depend on their defense. Wildcat goalie Jack Turanchik has a 0.72 goals against average with 40 saves. In Neuqua's five playoff victories, four of them have come by a single goal. Neuqua has given up more than two goals just once this season.
The Wildcats come into the state semifinals confident, because they have rattled off eight straight victories (five in the postseason). Their last loss came to Naperville Central, a 1-0 result Oct. 11.
"It feels good to now come together and get these victories. I think midway through the season we were in a little bit of a slump and had some losses, but we worked our way through it and now we are going to state," Davis said.
Due to the number of talented players in the area and the addition of Johns as the head coach, the young Wildcats soccer program has taken off and become a state powerhouse.
In nine seasons as varsity head coach, Johns holds a record of 174-38-20 with a state title win in 2003. The Wildcats have had five, 20-plus win seasons under Johns, and the program has averaged 19 wins per season.
"The wins are not due to any light competition; we play a lot of quality teams each season," Johns said. "Each team that I have had here had their own identity and they are determined to write their own history. This year's group is laid back, but they want to win and they try to not look back to last year."
The first state tournament test for the latest Neuqua team is New Trier (19-1-1), which has been dominant all season. The Trevians look to return to the promised land, as they were the 2006 state champions.
"Anytime you get into a tournament level, you have to know that if you lose, their will be no game tomorrow. We have seniors now that have handled these pressure situations and they will be our rocks," New Trier coach Craig Fairbairn said. "As sophomores, our seniors have experienced the state playoffs, and hopefully, it rubs off onto the other players."
In 2007, the Trevians' run to repeat as champions ended in the elite eight round to Hinsdale Central.
New Trier has multiple scoring threats returning from last year's team. The Trevians are led by midfielder Kyle McCurdden, who led the team in goals with 20. Not far behind McCurdden are Ryan Foreman and Ben Beaver, who have put in 18 goals apiece. Most likely if a goal is scored, it came from senior midfielder Chris Ritter, who has 14 assists in 21 games this season.
Just like the Wildcats, the Trevians have a solid defense that is rarely beaten. Goalkeeper John Secaras has been the anchor for the New Trier team as he has allowed 13 goals on the season in 21 games, which is good enough for an 0.62 goals-against average. Out of the Trevians' 19 wins on the season, 11 have come via shutout.
Both teams mirror each other. Most of the time they will play in a flat-four formation, or four defenders in the back. Each team will shift around its midfielders and forwards throughout the game.
"The key for us will be to take our possessions one by one, and if we happen to give (the ball) away, we can't get frustrated and just try to get it back," Fairbairn said. "We have to finish our chances when we get them, because Neuqua is a good team with good players."
New Trier defeated Waukegan 5-0 in its supersectional Tuesday to get to this point. Waukegan had tied the Trevians at 1 in the regular season and was only down 1-0 at the half earlier this week. New Trier turned up the offense in that game and scored four second-half goals. The Trevians struck three times in less than three minutes in the game and five different players scored.
Neuqua and New Trier didn't face each other during the season, and the only real gauge is that both teams faced Hinsdale Central. New Trier defeated the Red Devils 5-0 on Sept. 20 while Neuqua beat Hinsdale Central 3-0 in the supersectional.
This state tournament will be history in the making, because it is the first year that the IHSA has gone to three boys soccer classes.
Whoever wins the title will be the first 3A state champion.
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