Marian ready for playoffs

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Marian Central’s boys soccer team has been waiting a year for Tuesday.

The Hurricanes have become accustomed to proving themselves: They were considered an underdog during their run to the supersectional round of the IHSA playoffs last season and were slightly handicapped when they counted on returning nine starters this year but began the season with only six.

It’s taken focus to overcome a lot of the obstacles, but Marian has taken its hardships and turned them into wins, racking up a program-best 17 regular-season victories despite the roller coaster start to the season. On Tuesday, the ’Canes will play the winner of Saturday’s Class 2A Marengo Regional quarterfinal between No. 4 seed Marengo and No. 5 Woodstock North in hopes of finishing what they felt they didn’t last year.

“We’ve got 17 wins, and we know we are very capable of being a 20-1 team because we either knew we didn’t play our best or we couldn’t finish the match out at the end,” Marian coach Mike Golda said. “We’re going to take every match by itself, each half at a time. It’s playoff time, and anything can happen.”

The top-seeded ‘Canes must win their 4 p.m. Tuesday regional semifinal against either the host Indians or the Thunder in order to play for a regional title at 11 a.m. Oct. 24. Should Marian win its regional semifinal match, it will face either No. 3 Richmond-Burton or No. 2 Woodstock, which play at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the other semifinal.

Marian felt it could have beaten Chicago Lake View in double overtime of last season’s Class 2A supersectional, but lost to end its season.

The Hurricanes fittingly opened this year with a win against Lake View and are cautiously optimistic their talent and senior leadership can guide them through the playoffs this year, too.

“We can play anyone on any given day and be competitive,” Golda said. “We just have to focus on taking care of us.”

The Marengo Regional winner will not face another local team until the supersectional. The Marengo regional winner will play in the Freeport Sectional, and other local Class 2A teams will play in regionals that feed into the Hampshire Sectional.

Prairie Ridge earned the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 Grayslake North at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a Lakes Regional semifinal. The winner will play for the regional crown at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 23.

Fifth-seeded Crystal Lake Central will face No. 12 Wauconda at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Kaneland Regional semifinal; if the Tigers win, they will advance to the regional title match at 4 p.m. Oct. 23.

No. 17 Grayslake Central will play at No. 16 Vernon Hills at 2 p.m. Saturday in a regional quarterfinal to advance and face No. 1 Wheaton Academy at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in a Grayslake Central Regional semifinal. No. 9 Hampshire will play No. 8 Oswego in the other regional semifinal at 5:15 p.m. Tuesday; winners will play for the regional crown at 2 p.m. on Oct. 24.

Finally, Johnsburg, which earned the No. 10 seed, will face No. 7 Burlington Central at 6 p.m. Tuesday in a Burlington Central regional semifinal. The winner will advance to the regional title match at noon Oct. 24.