The Niles North Boys soccer season comes to an end with a heartbreaking playoff loss to Leyden. 

 The Niles North Boys Soccer team finished their season 21-3, beating both last year’s regular season win count (18) and total win count (20). The team won the CSL North conference and also the CSL Crossover game against GBN, the #3 ranked team in the state at the time, crowning them the CSL Champions. The team went into playoffs as the number six ranked team in the state on the popular website Chicagoland Soccer. 

The head coach of the team, Filip Cejovic, received Illinois Coach of the Year for boys soccer due to the team’s overwhelming success and his superb coaching abilities. The team was also able to make six All-Conference selections due to the winning of the CSL North, and the players selected were senior midfielder Trey Zakeri, senior forward Quinn Graham, senior forward Ismet Bojku, junior defender Diego Moreno, junior midfielder Irfan Sarvan, and junior midfielder Daniel Escobedo. 

Although the team didn’t win any IHSA championships, the players are proud of their accomplishments. 

“We had a fantastic season any way you look at it,” junior All-Conference defender Diego Moreno said. “We won 21 games which is insane, and we all had a ton of fun while doing it. I’d say all around I’m happy with our team this season.”

Their final game was played at Leyden East against Leyden, ending in a 3-1 loss. An early goal from Quinn Graham gave the team hope, but they soon fell short due to a two-goal second-half burst from Leyden. Leyden will be playing New Trier in the IHSA Sectional Finals on Friday, Oct. 27, meaning that two of the Viking’s three losses this season were to the two potential Sectional champions. 

The boys on the team will surely be disappointed that they didn’t extend their season a little longer, but they are happy with the season overall.