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2026 NewsTribune/BCR boys soccer preview · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: 2026 News Tribune BCR Boys Soccer Preview. Written by Kevin Schlum.
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  Speaker 1: This article is being read by an automated voice. Brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by Everlit. With the boys' soccer season starting
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  Speaker 1: this week, here's a look at the LaSalle-Peru-St. Bede, Depew Hall, Princeton,
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  Speaker 1: and Earlville teams for the 2026 season. LaSalle-Peru coach, David Spuden.
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  Speaker 1: Last year's record, 15-6 overall, 5-5 Interstate 8. Top returning players,
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  Speaker 1: Logan Griziwa, SR, Kyle Spellich, SR, Ryan Bubela, SR, Damian
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  Speaker 1: Cortez Jr., Alex Racks Jr., Ismael Mejia, SR, Parker Abens, SR,
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  Speaker 1: Don Pantoja Jr., Noah Escobedo, SR. Worth noting, the Cavaliers
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  Speaker 1: returned most of their key players from last year's team
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  Speaker 1: that finished 15-6 and played in a regional championship game
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  Speaker 1: for the first time since 2017. We're returning a large
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  Speaker 1: number of players from varsity last year, so the team
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  Speaker 1: has good chemistry, Spudik said. Our goal is to continue
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  Speaker 1: the momentum from our successful season last year. Offensively, Mejia,
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  Speaker 1: 24 goals, 7 assists in 2025, and Pantoja, 14 goals,
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  Speaker 1: 3 assists, returned to provide a strong 1-2 scoring punch. Rax,
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  Speaker 1: 4 goals, 2 assists, also was a contributor last season. Bubela, Spelic,
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  Speaker 1: and Cortez will anchor the defense in front of Grzywa
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  Speaker 1: in the net. Graziwa made 162 saves, allowed 10 goals,
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  Speaker 1: and recorded 6 shutouts last fall. St. Bede coach, David
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  Speaker 1: Garcia last year's record, 2-4-3. Top returning players, Gino Dinges, SSR,
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  Speaker 1: Daniel Garcia, SR, Michael Schultz, SR, Aiden Kim, Jr. Top newcomers,
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  Speaker 1: Theo Bonucci, F. Nacho Martin, F.R. Rudy Dinges, F.R. Gabriel Bunch, Jr.
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting, the Bruins played in the ISSA postseason for
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  Speaker 1: the first time last fall. We want our kids to
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  Speaker 1: be able to compete and keep making history, David Garcia said.
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  Speaker 1: Last year we played in regionals, and I hope we
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  Speaker 1: can play in regionals this year as well. David Garcia
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  Speaker 1: expects St. Bede's midfield to be strong with Kim, Bonucci,
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  Speaker 1: Gino Dinges, and Jonathan Garcia. The Bruins' defense will be
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  Speaker 1: solid as well in front of Schultz and the net.
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  Speaker 1: The more games they play, our defense will be very
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  Speaker 1: solid because it seems they understand each other in order
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  Speaker 1: to have that game progression, David Garcia said. Michael? Schultz
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  Speaker 1: is a fundamental player to start the attack progression and
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  Speaker 1: get to the finishing line. Top returning players. Top newcomers.
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  Speaker 1: Worth noting. The Little Giants have a few returning seniors
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  Speaker 1: to lead the way, but also will need contributions from underclassmen.
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  Speaker 1: We have a young roster that has a lot of potential,
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  Speaker 1: works hard for every practice, and is eager to improve,
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  Speaker 1: Moreno said. Depew will be solid on defense with Rios,
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  Speaker 1: Pedro Lopez, and Trujillo returning in front of Aaron Lopez
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  Speaker 1: in the net. We have pretty good, solid players on
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  Speaker 1: defense who work hard and understand their roles, Moreno said.
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  Speaker 1: I think our defense will improve as the season goes on.
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  Speaker 1: Morales scored five goals last season and will have a
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  Speaker 1: larger role on the team this season, along with Ovale's.
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  Speaker 1: I expect our offense to be competitive and to improve
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  Speaker 1: as the season progresses, Moreno said. The Little Giants' goals
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  Speaker 1: are to continue improving as a team and compete in
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  Speaker 1: every game, Masseno said. Princeton coach David Gray, last year's record, 5-17-1,
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  Speaker 1: 1-4-1-3 Rivers. Top returning players, Tyler Vandeventer, SR, Parker Nankisar,
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  Speaker 1: Chase Kastner, SR, Irfan Yousafi, so Jackson DeRose, so Caden Bieber,
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  Speaker 1: junior top newcomers, Tristan Salazar, so. Worth noting, the Tigers
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  Speaker 1: have relied heavily on underclassmen the last few years, so
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  Speaker 1: they now have a more experienced roster. We are returning
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  Speaker 1: about one-third of our starting lineup, Gray said. We have
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  Speaker 1: had to rely on underclassmen for a couple years, so
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  Speaker 1: our juniors and seniors have plenty of experience. We are
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  Speaker 1: still relying on big contributions from our sophomore group this year.
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  Speaker 1: Van de Venter, Nink, and Kastner, the team's three senior captains,
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  Speaker 1: will be very important both on and off the field. Yousefi, Nink, DeRose,
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  Speaker 1: and Bieber will be among the team's leading scorers. We
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  Speaker 1: hope others will step up and score goals as well,
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  Speaker 1: Gray said. We hope we have a few guys scoring
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  Speaker 1: goals and will not have to rely on any individual
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  Speaker 1: to carry us. The defense is expected to be strong
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  Speaker 1: in front of keeper Salazar and backup Jason Reed. We
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  Speaker 1: feel good about our defense, Gray said. We have spent
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  Speaker 1: a good amount of practice time on defensive work and
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  Speaker 1: hope we are all on the same page. The Tigers
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  Speaker 1: are looking to improve and Gray is confident they'll be
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  Speaker 1: able to compete in every game. The strength of the
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  Speaker 1: team is its determination, Gray said. The boys have committed
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  Speaker 1: to the program and have come into the season determined
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  Speaker 1: to play better soccer. If we continue to commit and
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  Speaker 1: work hard, then we should be happy with the overall results.
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  Speaker 1: Earlville coach, Michael Gast, last year's record, 218-06-10. Top returning players,
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  Speaker 1: Colton Fruit, SR Jeff Peterson, SR Alvin Hernandez, SR Braden Leppert,
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  Speaker 1: so Derek Farley, so Bryce Marks, so Rob Tinson, so
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  Speaker 1: top newcomers, Tony Milton, Ruben Munoz, FR. Worth noting, Gast
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  Speaker 1: is entering his second season leading the Red Raiders, who
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  Speaker 1: are looking to improve on a two-win season and winless
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  Speaker 1: conference record. We will be quick and hard to defend,
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  Speaker 1: Gass said. We are young, but work well together. Gass
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  Speaker 1: said the Red Raiders need to work on finishing to
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  Speaker 1: the goal.