 |
|
Neuqua Valley leads strong Pepsi Showdown field WW South, Lyons Twp., St. Charles North also in mix
By Curt Herron The talk of this year's Pepsi Showdown mirrors the discussion that will go on throughout the entire state this season. And that is, can someone stop top-ranked Neuqua Valley from capturing the championship? Tony Kees' Wildcats are off to a 6-0-1 start after claiming top honors in last week's Best of the West. Their tie came during that competition when Naperville North rallied from a late 2-0 deficit to force a 2-2 draw. Pool play continues on Thursday and Saturday with the earlier games back at local sites and Saturday's action at Lyons Township's soccer complex. The 32 squads will be joined this Saturday and next by eight other squads who will also get matches. Quarterfinals will be take place Thursday with semifinal competition set for next Saturday in LaGrange. The top two finishers will play for the championship next Sunday at Toyota Park in Bridgeview at 4:30 p.m. A total of nine of the 25 schools that this website reports on will take part in the event, with eight of those in bracket play. Beside Neuqua, those squads are Downers Grove North, Geneva, Marmion, Lyons Township, St. Charles North, Wheaton Academy and Wheaton Warrenville South. In addition, Saint Viator joins the teams that will be taking part in the Saturday-only aspect of the competition. Neuqua and number 16 seed-Geneva, who is 4-1-1 so far, are both in the top bracket pool in the tournament. In the next group, 3-0-1 Wheaton Academy joins seventh-seed New Trier and ninth-seed Plainfield Central. WW South, which beat New Trier 3-2 on Saturday for the championship in the Barrington Classic, is off to a 5-0 start this season. Guy Callipari's Tigers drew the number five-seed and they're in a pool that features 11th-seed Oak Park-River Forest. "So far a lot of good things have come our way and hopefully Barrington provided us with an opportunity to be a little battle-tested," Callipari said. "We've been down and come back and also let people come back. Hopefully we're taking an established belief pattern that works into the Showdown." Leading the way in the top of the bottom bracket are the host Lions, who have opened with a 4-1 record. Paul Labbato's squad, who fell 4-0 to Neuqua for their only blemish so far, are the number three-seed. "I think we have a good shot of getting through to Saturday with a chance to make it into the final eight," Labbato said. "I know that we have some good teams in front of us who've had upset wins so we're not taking anyone lightly." LT figures to face a tough challenge from 14th-seed St. Charles North, which has gotten off to a 4-2 start. Eric Willson's North Stars won their last three games at Barrington, capped by a 1-0 win over Lake Zurich for third place. "We've always enjoyed the Pepsi Showdown since we feel like we get to see teams that we normally wouldn't," Willson said. "It's always a high level of competition and we love playing in that tournament since it's always one of the better ones in the state." DG North, which is 2-1-3, hopes to challenge in the next bracket, which includes sixth-seed Lake Zurich and 12th-seed West Chicago. In the next-to-last bracket, eighth-seed Maine South and number-10 seed Libertyville are the favorites. The bottom bracket in the tournament features number two-seed Streamwood and 15th-seed Fenwick.
|
PEPSI SHOWDOWN SCHEDULE Tuesday's schedule Thursday's schedule Saturday's schedule (all matches at Lyons Township.) Thurs., Sept. 17 Sat., Sept. 19 (all matches at Lyons Township) Sun, Sept. 20 |