The state of Virginia is very well represented in the first edition of the MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 National Girls Soccer Rankings, as five teams from the Old Dominion are ranked.
Missouri, on the other hand, has just one team, but it is the top team. Liberty has lost once, a shootout setback to Lee's Summit North at the St. Thomas Aquinas Tournament in Kansas, but other than that has been dominant and is regarded by many as the best team in the country.
Illinois and Oklahoma are well represented, with three teams each in the initial rankings. For the Land of Lincoln, that includes unbeaten and untied Neuqua Valley out of Naperville.
California, North Carolina and Georgia have two teams apiece. That's impressive for California considering only the Sac-Joaquin Section plays completely during the spring. The Northern Section's large schools also play during the spring, but none are in the rankings.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL GIRLS SOCCER RANKINGS1. Liberty (Mo.) 14-1-0The shootout loss to Lee's Summit North is the only slip-up for the Jayhawks, who have allowed just 10 goals in 14 games, meanwhile scoring 85. Liberty has scored five goals or more 10 times.
2. Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.) 13-0-0The Wildcats were very impressive this year at the Downers Grove South Tournament, and at the Hazelwood Showcase, outscoring opponents by a combined 28-3 at both events. They have allowed just six goals this season as they face a tough stretch of six straight games away from home.
Anna Gilbertson of Davis High.
Photo by Mark Bahrenfuss
The Blue Devils started the season with a draw, but have gone on to win 16 straight since. They have also outscored their opponents 78-4 on the season after Tuesday night's 2-0 win over Wisconsin power Catholic Memorial. Davis has won their two previous games 10-0 over Grant and 8-0 over Laguna Creek as
Anna Gilbertson leads the team with 28 goals.
4. Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) 6-0-1The Bulldogs are off and running in the AAA Liberty District, winning their first four district games and staying unbeaten in a state loaded with talented soccer teams.
5. Valley (West Des Moines, Iowa) 3-0-0Valley escaped with a narrow 1-0 victory over Urbandale in its most recent game, but that came after opening the season with an 8-0 win over Marshalltown, followed by a 3-0 triumph over Ames.
6. Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.) 15-0-1Leesville Road started the year 7-0 by outscoring opponents 36-2 before running into a scoreless draw with Apex. Since then the Pride have gone on to win nine games in a row, including a pair of 3-2 wins over Broughton and Sanderson.
7. Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) 15-1-0The defending state champions in South Carolina have only given up one goal this season, and their only loss came in penalty kicks after a 0-0 draw with a very good Hilton Head Island team.
8. Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) 13-0-2The Ramblers beat interstate rival Lyons in the Pepsi Shootout final on Sunday, scoring an early goal on a corner kick and holding on from there for the big win.
9. Woodson (Fairfax, Va.) 6-0-1The Cavaliers got a 73rd minute goal from Cassidy Mercier to beat Yorktown in their most recent match, surviving 1-0.
10. Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.) 16-0-2Harrison had a February 1-1 draw with Lassiter, and a 1-1 draw with McIntosh two weeks ago. But sandwiched in between are 14 straight wins including a 1-0 win over Alabama powerhouse Spain Park. Harrison recently beat Georgia contender Woodward Academy 1-0.
11. Union (Tulsa, Okla.) 11-1-0Union's only loss so far came on a penalty kick to St. Teresa's, and other than that it has wins over Bishop Kelley, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Lee's Summit North and Incarnate Word.
Green Hope's Alexis Degler.
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
A recent 1-0 loss to Panther Creek is the only blemish on the record for Green Hope, which started the year with 13 straight wins. The Falcons have a big match with Apex coming up on April 27.
13. Centreville (Clifton, Va.) 9-0-0The Wildcats have allowed just three goals this season, and have a recent 8-0 win over Marshall and a 5-0 win over T.C. Williams.
14. Lyons (LaGrange, Ill.) 9-2-1Lyons topped New Trier 2-0 in the Pepsi Shootout before giving up an early goal to Loyola Academy in the final game and falling 1-0.
15. Cumberland Valley (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) 9-1-0It appears to be a three-horse battle in Pennsylvania at the moment, with Cumberland Valley, Hershey and Lower Dauphin all beating up on each other. Cumberland Valley recently lost to Hershey in overtime, but bounced back with a 2-0 win over previously unbeaten Lower Dauphin.
16. Bishop Kelley (Tulsa, Okla.) 11-1-0With wins over Broken Arrow and Edmond North, and only a loss to Union, Bishop Kelley has established itself as the second best team in Oklahoma at this point.
17. Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.) 18-3-1The Jaguars have beaten two of the three teams that have beaten them this year, splitting with fellow Alabama powers Oak Mountain and Mountain Brook. Their only other setback was a 1-0 loss early in the year to No. 10 Harrison.
18. Deep Run (Glen Allen, Va.) 8-0-0Deep Run has won its last three games by a combined score of 25-1, most recently beating Hermitage 12-0 to improve to 2-0 in district play. Previously it had an 8-0 win over Henrico and 5-1 against Collegiate.
19. Novi (Mich.) 2-0-1Early on in the year, Novi has a 3-2 win over Canton and a 1-1 draw against a very good Northville team and has beaten Salem. With the bulk of their schedule ahead, the Wildcats are just getting started.
20. Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.) 5-0-0Broad Run is seeking its fourth straight state title, and is off to a good start. The Spartans are led by a tremendous player in Whitney Church, who was the AA state player of the year as a junior in 2010.
21. Rio Americano (Sacramento, Calif.) 12-0-0The Raiders have allowed just three goals this season, and on top of that have raced out to a 6-0 start in the Capital Athletic League after wins over Cordova and Whitney last week.
22. Marian (Omaha, Neb.) 11-0-0Marian topped Millard North 1-0 in the finals of the Metro Tournament on April 11 in a battle of unbeatens and the state's top two teams.
23. Edmond North (Okla.) 10-2-1After a 5-0 win over Choctaw and an 8-0 win over Moore, the Huskies are 5-0 in district play and are just another very quality team out of the state of Oklahoma.
24. Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 8-2-0The Class 6A state runners-up a year ago, the Huskies are looking like the best team in Kansas at the moment. Tops in the coaches poll in that state, they recently went 2-1 in St. Louis Classic with a win over Incarnate Word Academy.
25. Fellowship Christian (Roswell, Ga.) 15-0-1After a draw in their first game, the Paladins have responded with 14 straight wins and are led by one of the best scorers in the country in
Emily Sonnett, who has 35 goals this season so far.
