Glenbrook South
Top returners: Sr. GK Perry Adamopoulos, Sr. D/M Inaki Bascaran
Season outlook: In his second season as the Glenbrook South boys soccer coach, Seong Ha looks to build upon the 8-8-4 record the Titans finished with last year. They lost in the Class 3A regional finals.
With Adamopoulos and Bascaran, the Titans will aim to capture their first Central Suburban title since 1984 by relying on defense. The Titans will also need to find ways to generate offense, and Ha expects scoring to come by committee.
Glenbrook North
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Top returners: Jr. D Seth Grossman, Jr. M Jackson Grabill, Sr. M Eli Dryer, Jr. F Kamil Barabas, Sr. GK Ian Albert
New contributors: So. D Mason Ross, So. M Sahil Modi, So. F Alex Kahn
Season outlook: Glenbrook North is looking to play a possession style that mixes skill and pace. Glenbrook North coach Paul Vignocchi said his team will be strong defensively, particularly with Albert returning. The Spartans’ goal, Vignocchi said, is to compete for a Central Suburban North championship and play well in New Trier’s Northside College Showcase Tournament and the Gateway City Classic in St. Louis.
Glenbrook North reached the Class 3A regional finals last season.
Loyola
Top returners: Sr. D Sean Leider, Jr. F Sean Hickey, Sr. GK Nick Troiano, Sr. D Neil Sundaram
New contributors: Sr. D Will Franke, Fr. M David Gripman
Season outlook: Baer Fisher, a 2004 New Trier graduate, is in his first season as Loyola’s coach. He accepted his first high school coaching job with the intent of changing Loyola’s mentality. He has worked with the club team FC United for five years and he spent two years as an assistant with the University of Chicago men’s soccer team. The Ramblers went 3-14 last season and lost in the Class 3A regional quarterfinals, but Fisher has already started to see change in his group since beginning practice in June.
“It’s a great group of kids,” Fisher said. “They come from a culture in the past where it hasn’t been so serious. The biggest thing for us is to change the mind-set in how we approach training and how we think about competing. Their response has been fantastic. Their work ethic has been awesome. They’ve been responsive to everything we’ve been coaching.”
New Trier
Top returners: Sr. F Michael Gallo, Sr. D Jacob Moskowitz, Jr. M Michael McCue
New contributors: Jr. F Ameen Salako, Jr. M Louis Shaw, So. M Ryan Kruger
Season outlook: After reaching the Class 3A supersectional last season, New Trier is poised to have another strong year. In an email, New Trier coach Wes Molyneaux said the Trevians have another strong group with a number of dynamic offensive players. Molyneaux described Salako, who played on the sophomore team last season, as one of those players.
Seniors Spencer Farina and Brad Nassar, who were on last year’s team, have elected to play academy soccer.
Evanston
Top returners: Sr. GK Adam Masters, Sr. M Adam Trujillo, Sr. F Erick Balthazar, Sr. M Christyan De La Cruz
New contributors: Sr. F Jesus Villasenor
Season outlook: The Wildkits reached a Class 3A sectional final last year before losing to New Trier. Evanston is poised to have another strong year due to Masters’ prowess. Masters was called up to varsity midway through his freshman season and has been an integral member of Evanston’s strong defense the past two years.
“I think we have one of the best goalies in the state in Adam Masters,” Evanston coach Franz Calixte said. “Even though we’re going to have newer players in front of him, we’re going to constantly work on being very stingy on defense. That’s our goal.”
Roycemore
Top returners: So. Helios Wang, Spencer Simone
Season outlook: Roycemore wants to build on its Class 1A regional quarterfinal win over Waldorf last fall. Roycemore will rely on Wang and Simone’s leadership as well as an incoming group of freshmen to try and improve as the season progresses.
North Shore Country Day
Top returners: Sr. M Ben Potter, Sr. D Will Lawler, Sr. M AJ Formolo, So. M Braden Adamson-Tate
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New contributors: Jr. GK Andrew Potter, Jr. M/F Kevin Terhaerdt
Season outlook: North Shore Country Day won its first Independent School League championship last season, and Raiders coach Kyle Jones said his team has the potential to be even better this year. The Raiders have a strong class of seven seniors — Lawler, Dillon Forester, CJ Charnas, Maurits Hondmann, Ben Potter, Leo Garcia and Formolo — and Jones will rely on them to win games. Ben Potter highlights that group, having scored 21 goals and recorded 16 assists last fall.
“We have great team chemistry,” Jones said. “We have a group of [seven] seniors who have been with us for four years, and I think five of them have started since they were freshmen. These guys have all played together a lot and it’s their senior year. We’re excited to see what the next season and their leadership will bring.”
North Shore reached the Class 1A regional finals last season.
Matthew Paras is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.