From a foggy field at Hoffman Estates High School, the boys’ soccer team from Naperville North brought back the school’s third Illinois state title in the sport (2016-3A, 1998-AA) and their 25th IHSA title overall this evening; also, the team from the Eric Solorio Academy in Chicago brought back the school’s first title in any sport as they won the Class 2A title.
Naperville North, pre-game introductions (NFHS Network screen shot)
In Class 3A, the Wildcats of Libertyville, coached by Kevin Thunholm, were undefeated going in to the title game, 20-0-2, while Jim Konrad’s Huskies from Naperville North had lost only 1 and tied 1 this season, coming in with 26 victories before the final game.
The two teams played to a scoreless tie until just under 15 minutes remained in the second half. At that point, Colin Iverson kicked it in, off a throw-in from Jack Barry, giving their team the only goal they would need to take their second consecutive championship in boys’ soccer.
The year before last, in the fall of 2015, Libertyville won the state title with coach Andy Bitta.
Eric Solorio Academy, in Class 2A, not only defeated Gibault Catholic from Waterloo this afternoon in the title game but put a definitive punctuation mark on what was a scrappy 17-6-4 season. Adrian Calleros’s Sun Warriors scored 6 goals and held the Hawks, coached by Darryn Haudrich, scoreless for the entire match.
It would have been Gibault’s fifth state title in boys’ soccer (2005, 2006, 2007, 2013).
