A tall task is ahead right from the start.
The 2025 NWSL season is coming soon, and the Chicago Stars will open the season March 14 in Orlando against the defending league champions.
These two teams met in the NWSL quarterfinals in 2024 with Orlando knocking the Stars out, 4-1.
The Stars’ first home game at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview takes place March 23 against Houston and they are home against Racing Louisville on March 30.
The team will play 13 regular-season league games at home and 13 on the road. They will close on Nov. 2 with the NWSL’s Decision Day, when the Stars are at home against Angel City.
Officials said that, based on the success of last year’s success of playing a match at iconic Wrigley Field, there will be special events for June 14 and Sept. 7.
This is the final year of the team’s lease with the Bridgeview facility and the future is up in the air.
The Stars continue to make a flurry of offseason moves and on Jan. 24 signed Under-17 Youth National Team star attacker Micayla Johnson to a three-year contract through 2027.
Bowling and dancing to state
Six area competitive dance teams will head to the IHSA state meet starting Friday at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
Evergreen Park (85.17) and Nazareth (84.33) finished first and second in the Class 1A Maine East Sectional.
Lyons won the Class 3A title at Maine East with a 93.30 and Sandburg qualified with a sixth-place finish at 83.87.
Argo (82.17) finished fourth and Marist (80.90) was fifth in the Class 2A division at Maine East.
Three individual bowlers qualified for the state meet.
At the Andrew Sectional, Stagg junior Noah Jones (1,305 in six games), Oak Lawn junior Justin Canvin (1,289) and Brother Rice senior Jeremy Gasca (1,283) qualified as individuals.
The two-day state meet begins Friday at St. Clair Bowl in O’Fallon.
Taheny wins main event
The South Suburban Conference featured a great wrestling matchup on Jan. 25 at Shepard when Richards’ Mike Taheny beat Judah Heeg, 4-1 in a sudden victory match at 190 pounds.
Taheny improved to 29-1 and was named the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. Heeg was ranked second in the state in Class 2A by Illinois Matmen and Taheny fourth. Earlier in the season, Heeg beat Taheny 14-0.
Other area champs were Evergreen Park’s Jayden Cervantes (120), Adrian Cervantes (126), Chance Woods (138) and David Johnson (150), along with Reavis’s William Swiercynski (157).
Sandburg won the SouthWest Suburban Conference Meet with 269.5 points as Rocco Hayes (113), Madden Parker (132) and Ryan Hinger (144) won individual titles.
Marist won the East Suburban Catholic Conference meet with 226.5 points.
RedHawks Michael Esteban (126), George Marinopoulos (132), Donavon Allen (144), Ethan Sonne (157), Will Denny (165) and Tommy O’Brien (215) won titles.
At the Catholic League Meet, Mount Carmel’s Seth Mendoza (138) and Liam Kelly (157) won championships. Mount Carmel, the defending Class 3A state champ, finished fourth behind IC Catholic, Marmion and Montini.
In girls wrestling, Oak Lawn’s Felix Morales (100), Shepard’s Sofia Perez (105), Shepard’s Mila Rocush (130), Oak Lawn’s Charvelle McLain (155) and Shepard’s Kassandra Lee (170) earned individual SSC titles.
Big opener for SXU volleyball
St. Xavier’s men’s volleyball team opened the season the same way it closed the 2024 season – with a match against Georgetown (Kentucky).
Last season, it decided the NAIA national championship with Georgetown winning in five sets, But this year the Cougars, ranked second in the nation in the coaches’ poll, pulled off a 25-18, 25-17, 25-12 win on Jan. 23 at the Shannon Center in Chicago.
Matt Pennala had 18 assists and 10 kills.
Moraine Valley women pull off shocker
Romeoville grad Jadea Johnson had 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead Moraine Valley’s women’s basketball team to a 78-72 shocker over Oakton on Jan. 21 in Des Plaines.
Oakton was 19-0 and ranked 21st in the nation among NJCAA Division II teams and the top team in Region IV.
Bremen grad Shakila Brownlow added 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Cyclones, who finished the week 10-10 overall and 3-2 in the Skyway Conference.