By Ben Cox
Futbol! This week, soccer takes the center stage. The high school boys play in the fall. We will primarily focus on just Jacksonville High School and Illinois College.
Central State 8 — Jacksonville High School Boys Soccer preview
Jacksonville finished in the middle of the pack in a tough Central State 8 Conference last year. Normal University High and Sacred Heart-Griffin were two of the top teams, followed closely behind by Chatham-Glenwood. These three teams will likely lead the charge again in the conference. U-High took the 1A state title last year with a stacked group of seniors. Glenwood and Rochester will have a heavy amount of key returning players to also make a run for the top spot in the conference. Glenwood will be especially hungry after falling on penalty kicks in the 2A Super Sectional final to Belleville Althoff Catholic, which was played in Jacksonville. Jacksonville will be led by senior forward Joe Reif. Reif was an IHSSCA All-Sectional player last year. The Crimsons are senior heavy and should do much to improve on their 3-4-1 conference record from last year. They’ll get a quick early test in a conference match at Lincoln on August 26. It’s a must win if they wish to stay in the hunt for a good seed for the playoffs.
Illinois College Men’s Soccer preview
The Blueboys have taken great strides towards becoming one of the top teams in the Midwest Conference since Evan Philpott took over as head coach seven seasons ago. Back-to-back appearances as a top team in the conference or in the conference tournament has proven that Philpott has recruited some top Division III athletes. Last year, the Blueboys finished 13-5-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference, both watershed moments for the program. They are the highest collective win totals for a season in school history. It was also the Blueboys second time advancing to the championship game in the conference tournament. Lake Forest, Cornell and Grinnell will be the biggest tests of the season. They are the top programs in the MWC, and the Blueboys will have to beat at least two of them in the regular season to find themselves back in the hunt for the postseason. They’ve got the tools to do it. Senior forward Tyler Lunning will have to return to his 2023 form this year. Lunning was a first-team MWC selection in his sophomore season. He will have to lead the front attack for an offense that sometimes lacked firepower near the end of the season. Midfielder Jacob Pelletier will hopefully continue to be one of the top players in the conference. He was a second team all-MWC selection last year. What really leapt forward, though, was IC’s defense last year. Junior defenseman Jason Hernandez will likely lead that charge again. He will need the help of fellow defenseman Drew Herman and junior goalie T.J. Essiely this year. Exhibition games start in Springfield on August 22 with the first official game for the Blueboys on August 30 at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. The first home game at England Stadium is September 7 against WashU of St. Louis.
Illinois College Women’s Soccer preview
The Lady Blues have long been on the bottom of the Midwest Conference in terms of soccer. Head Coach Hunter Gray is in his fifth season on the Hilltop after many years of successful coaching in prep sports in Alabama. The program has taken great strides forward in those last five years. The Lady Blues finished 10-6-3 overall and 2-4-2 in the MWC last year. It was just the second time in school history the program finished with double-digit wins. The Lady Blues have some more learning to do in a steep conference this year. Lake Forest and Grinnell are the conference juggernauts. They’re both well-established Division III programs that will have to be bested over time. However, Coach Gray has a pretty good foundation with a core of four returning seniors and five juniors this year. Senior Olivia Ralston was a second team all-conference player last year. While the Lady Blues will sorely miss the contributions of Haley Sommer from last year’s offense, Ralson should have plenty of help to spread around with the likes of juniors Abbi Renwick, Olivia Hulsey, Jourdan Stevens and Erin O’Connell. There is a formidable group of 14 freshmen who are also scheduled to suit up. Junior Sophia Kriegesmann is scheduled to spend the season between the pipes for the Lady Blues. She went 4-5-3 in 14 games in goal last year. She captured two shutouts but will have to improve the .769 goals against average to help the defense this season.
