Three new teams enter Top 5 in MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Soccer Rankings

The MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Girls Soccer Rankings saw plenty of shake-up this week as we welcome two new teams to the fold, three new teams to the Top 5 and three more new ones to the Top 10.

One thing stayed the same as top-ranked Liberty, even without stars Kaysie Clark and Shea Groom for a stretch, kept on winning, while No. 2 Neuqua Valley kept applying the pressure by keeping pace.

Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.) joins the rankings, debuting at No. 15 as it has steamrolled to a 19-0-0 record, while Ankeny of Iowa jumps into the mix at No. 23, winning at the Tournament of Champions in Iowa and starting the year at 10-0-0.

We saw Top 5 teams Davis, Stone Bridge and Leesville Road slip, and that opened the door for Wando, Harrison and Union to jump into the Top 5. Bishop Kelley joined Union in the Top 10, making it two Oklahoma teams in the upper echelon.



Spain Park moves up to No. 10, but probably faces the toughest challenge this week as the Jaguars will face Addison Sewell and Mountain Brook in the playoffs on Friday night. Feature story on Addison Sewell's return from leukemia

Cumberland Valley also joins the Top 10, despite being without top scorer Cassie Pecht.

The biggest jump of the week goes to Novi of Michigan, as the Wildcats move up six spots after a trio of Division I commits led them to three wins. Novi has only played six games this year, due to weather and spring break, but is clearly one of the top teams in country and with a lot of games in hand, has a chance to move up quite a bit.

MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL GIRLS SOCCER RANKINGS

1. (Last week No. 1) Liberty (Mo.), 17-1-0
The Blue Jays survived two matches without Kaysie Clark and Shea Groom, who were training with the U-20 National Team in California. After the duo returned, the team picked up a big 2-1 win over St. Teresa's, which was considered the No. 2 team in Missouri heading into that match.

2. (2) Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.), 17-0-0
The Wildcats got tested in the finals of the Naperville North Invitational, but scored an early goal to hold off Lyons 1-0. Prior to that it was a 2-0 win over Geneva in the semifinals and a 2-1 win over Sandburg.



3. (6) Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), 17-1-0
The Warriors keep chugging along and racking up wins, topping James Island Charter last Thursday, 6-1, then beat Summerville 3-0 on Tuesday night.

4. (7) Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.), 18-0-2
The Hoyas started the Georgia state playoffs on the right foot, beating Luella easily, 9-0 in the first round.

5. (8) Union (Tulsa, Okla.), 14-1-0
Union started the Oklahoma state playoffs with a 7-0 win over Southmoore as Katy Lee came off the bench to score two first-half goals, giving the Redskins a 2-0 halftime edge.

6. (9) Green Hope (Cary, N.C.), 15-1-0
The Fighting Falcons topped Apex for the second time this season, sending a very clear message to the state of North Carolina, and the nation, that they are a team to be reckoned with.

7. (10) Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.), 18-0-3
Bouncing back nicely from the draw with St. Ignatius, the Ramblers went on quite a run, winning five games in seven days and winning Conference GCAC Red and the Catholic Cup. They beat Providence and Marist last week, then beat Fenwick 1-0 on Saturday, beat Trinity 5-0 on Monday and then Lakes 6-0, outscoring opponents 22-0 in that stretch.

8. (13) Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), 14-1-0
A 7-0 win over Chambersburg keeps the Eagles rolling right along as they await the return of Cassie Pecht.



9. (14) Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.), 14-1-0
The Comets started the Oklahoma 5A state playoffs with a bang, topping Tahlequah 10-0. They face Booker T. Washington High on Friday.

10. (15) Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), 21-3-1
The Jaguars are off and rolling in the Alabama 6A playoffs, beating Tuscaloosa High 9-0 on Tuesday in the first round and now they face a tough test as they battle Mountain Brook on Friday night.

11. (17) Novi (Mich.), 5-0-1
It was a six-spot jump for the Wildcats after a trio of Division I college commits led them to three big wins. Behind two goals from Michigan State commit Nicki Caruso, Novi beat Livonia Stevenson 4-0, then beat South Lyon 7-0 thanks to Wisconsin-bound Nikki Greenhalgh scoring three goals. Caruso had a goal and an assist in a 2-0 win over Country Day as fellow MSU commit Gabby Gauruder had shutouts in all three games.

12. (11) Centreville (Clifton, Va.), 9-0-0
Weather kept Centreville from playing once again, as a game against Edison, a game in which the Wildcats were leading, was postponed due to lightning.

13. (12) Lyons (LaGrange, Ill.), 14-3-1
It was a pair of wins for Lyons in the last week, beating a very good Naperville team 4-3, then controlling the match against Lincoln-Way Central in a 2-0 win.

14. (3) Davis (Calif.), 20-1-1
After a 4-0 win over Elk Grove, their 20th of the season, the Blue Devils got a surprise 1-0 loss to Franklin on Tuesday. They drop 11 spots after the loss, but have the chance to move back into the Top 10 as the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs approach.



15. (NR) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 19-0-0
The Knights are 13-0-0 in the SW 4A Conference, and in 19 games this year have posted 16 shutouts, allowed just three goals on the year, and just two in conference play. On Tuesday night they beat Rocky River 8-1, and they end the regular season this week.

16. (5) Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.), 18-1-1
Just a small slip up for the Pride, falling 3-2 to Sanderson in the Conference 7 Tournament, as that followed a 6-0 win over Heritage and a 2-0 win over Millbrook. Leesville Road will look for redemption in the playoffs.

17. (16) Deep Run (Glen Allen, Va.), 8-0-0
Rain and more rain kept Deep Run idle again for another week.

18. (19) Rio Americano (Sacramento, Calif.), 15-0-0
The Raiders won three games by a combined score of 18-0, beating Mira Loma and Antelope last week by 8-0 and 4-0 scores, respectively. They started this week this week with a 6-0 win over El Camino on Tuesday.

19. (20) Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.), 11-2-1
The Huskies captured the Metro-Athletic Conference title, and their district title, after a 3-1 win over Putnam City North as Courtney Dike scored three times, giving her 24 goals on the season. She added another, and so did Carleigh Wood, in a 2-1 triumph over Edmond Memorial in the first round of the state playoffs Tuesday.

20. (21) Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.), 12-2-0
The Huskies faced the top 5A team in Kansas, St. Thomas Aquinas, and stood up to the challenge with a 2-1 win last Thursday. Before that, they beat a solid Blue Valley team 4-2.



21. (22) Fellowship Christian (Roswell, Ga.), 17-0-1
Emily Sonnett continues to pile up the goals, as the nation's leading goal scorer now has 44 on the season after netting five in a 10-0 win over Strong Rock Christian in the second round of the 4A playoffs.

22. (24) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 24-2-1
There might not be a hotter team in the country right now than the Rams, who are really rolling and perhaps setting up a California collision course with Davis. They beat West Tracy 9-0, beat McNair 15-0 and then clinched the Tri-Cities Athletic League with a 2-0 win over second-place Stagg.

23. (NR) Ankeny (Iowa), 10-0-0
The Hawks have established themselves as the top team in Iowa, and have rocketed into the rankings after a great showing at the Tournament of Champions in Iowa. Ankeny won the TOC, finishing it off with a 6-2 win over Althoff Catholic of Illinois.

24. (25) Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 10-0-2
The Golden Eagles picked up a 2-0 win over Regis Jesuit as they are led by Jenna Owens, who has 12 goals and seven assists this season.

25. (23) Troy (Mich.), 9-0-2
The Colts drop just slightly with a draw, but all in all had a pretty good week. The draw came against former state champ Rochester, 1-1, but before that they beat a very good Adams team 1-0 and beat the top team in Division II, Birmingham Marian, 2-0.

Dropped: No. 4 Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.), No. 18 Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.).