Northwest Herald All-Area boys soccer team

First team

Forwards

Kyle Gust

Marian Central, sr.

Gust, the Northwest Herald Boys Soccer Player of the Year, had 31 goals and 19 assists for the Hurricanes, including five game-winning goals. A three-year starter, Gust helped Marian to a 20-6-1 record and was an All-Suburban Christian Conference selection.

Christian Harvey

Woodstock, sr.

Harvey, a four-year starter for the Blue Streaks, established himself as one of the Fox Valley Conference’s most prolific goal scorers of all time this season, racking up 35 goals and 15 assists. Harvey was an All-FVC selection.

Charlie Oliver

Crystal Lake South, so.

Oliver quickly became known as the most dangerous forward in the FVC, coming up with crafty ways to score his team-high 20 goals. Oliver added nine assists and was an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches’ Association All-Sectional player and an All-FVC selection.

Midfielders

CJ Arenberg

Cary-Grove, sr.

Arenberg anchored a midfield as much with his veteran status as he did with his aggression, becoming the leader the Trojans so desperately needed. Arenberg scored two goals and added 12 assists and was an All-FVC pick and an IHSSCA All-Sectional player.

Colin Carpenter

Harvard, sr.

Carpenter could be moved anywhere on the field, into any position, and be successful, so Harvard coach David Abel often used that strength to his team’s advantage. Carpenter’s natural position as an attacking midfielder allowed him to record 12 goals and 13 assists and help Harvard win its third consecutive Big Northern Conference title.

Matt Latawiec

Cary-Grove, sr.

Latawiec was one of the area’s best ball winners with an active presence in the midfield. Latawiec scored 11 goals and assisted on six others and was an IHSSCA honorable mention player and an All-FVC selection.

Tyler Lundquist

Marian Central, sr.

Lundquist finished his four-year career at Marian with 24 goals and 14 assists this season, including four game-winning goals. Lundquist was a part of three regional title teams and helped Marian win one sectional and one conference title. Lundquist was an All-SCC selection.

Defenders

Adam Gatza

Crystal Lake South, jr.

Gatza led a unit that allowed 20 goals through 26 matches, earning 10 shutouts to become the second-best statistical defense in school history, coach Brian Allen said. Gatza contributed 14 assists, in part because of his “ability to find attackers [off] long services,” Allen said. Gatza was an All-FVC selection.

Mac Kurth

Harvard, sr.

Kurth protected rookie goalkeeper Chase Blazier so well that Blazier rarely had to worry about stopping shots, Abel said. Kurth, the Hornets’ sweeper, helped Harvard’s defense secure 12 shutouts and allow only 16 goals – four of which were penalty kicks.

Sam Poli

Prairie Ridge, sr.

Poli, the Wolves’ sweeper the past three seasons, made few mistakes in the back, which helped Prairie Ridge to two FVC Fox Division crowns and one second-place finish. Poli also scored two goals and added six assists and was an IHSSCA All-Sectional player as well as an All-FVC selection.

Goalkeeper

Kevin Montelongo

Huntley, jr.

FVC coaches nearly unanimously agreed that Montelongo was the area’s best pure goalkeeper. Although the Red Raiders struggled to play consistently, Montelongo anchored their defense and was a mainstay in goal, routinely coming up with highlight reel-worthy saves. Montelongo secured seven shutouts for the Raiders and recorded 80 saves.

Second team

Forwards

Jono Gutmann – Crystal Lake South, sr.

Sam Kruse – Crystal Lake Central, jr.

Ivan Pichardo – Harvard, sr.

Midfielders

Carey Bienert – Crystal Lake South, sr.

Josh McNaughton – McHenry, sr.

Robert Murphy – Hampshire, sr.

Ben Platta – Marian Central, sr.

Taylor Pignataro – Jacobs, jr.

Defenders

Matt Biederwolf – Crystal Lake South, sr.

Alec Grazier – Marian Central, sr.

Goalkeeper

Cole Geissel – Prairie Ridge, sr.

Honorable mention

Taylor Bennett – Prairie Ridge, sr., midfielder

Ryan Borys – Cary-Grove, jr., defender

Tom Breen – Crystal Lake Central, so., goalkeeper

Austin Brettschneider – Marengo, jr., midfielder

Jake Bukiri – McHenry, sr., defender/midfielder

Javier Diaz – Huntley, so., forward

Justin Diedrich – McHenry, sr., defender

Mike Dombrowski – Johnsburg, jr., forward

Matt Ehrhardt – Jacobs, jr., defender

Tyler Fehring – Crystal Lake Central, jr., midfielder

Jeremiah Gratz – Harvard, sr., midfielder

Will Higgins – Cary-Grove, sr., goalkeeper

Andrew Hull – Marian Central, sr., goalkeeper

Elliot Ireland – Cary-Grove, sr., sweeper

Ismael Morales – Hampshire, so., forward

Oscar Morales – Harvard, sr., midfielder

Mike Pagan – Dundee-Crown, sr., midfielder

Alex Polizzi – Prairie Ridge, jr., midfielder

Dakota Pruitt – Johnsburg, sr., midfielder

Jacob Stock – Crystal Lake South, jr., defender

Dimitri Tsoukalas – Huntley, jr., defender

Pat Wilkening – Harvard, sr., midfielder

– Maureen Lynch
mlynch@nwherald.com