Glenbrook North hopes to find more than the back of the net in its matchup with visiting St. Ignatius at 5:30 p.m. afternoon.

“We’ll be looking to get our swagger back,” Spartans coach Paul Vignocchi said. “We’ve lost two of our last three games.”

But Glenbrook North — ranked eighth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and the top-seed in the Class 3A Fremd Sectional — still boasts a showy 16-3-1 record.

And the recent setbacks were to quality sides. Grayslake Central edged Glenbrook North 1-0 on Tuesday, five days after Vignocchi’s reigning Central Suburban League South Division championship crew bowed 5-2 to visiting North Division titleist Niles North.

Grayslake Central is ranked fourth in the Chicagoland Soccer Class AA Super 7 poll; Niles North shot up from the bottom spot in the Top 25 in Week 6 to no. 7 in the most recent edition released Oct. 9.

“It’ll be a tough game,” said St. Ignatius coach Matt Miller, whose Wolfpack (7-10-1) — seeded no. 2 in the Class AA DeLaSalle Sectional — beat host Glenbrook South 3-1 on Oct.10 and downed Lincoln Park 1-0 on Oct. 5. “Set pieces, (especially) long throws — those are Glenbrook North’s strengths.”

Glenbrook North defeated St. Ignatius 1-0 in Chicago last fall.

“St. Ignatius is always well-organized defensively,” Vignocchi said. “They do a nice job of keeping possession, and they will always look to win the ball back.”

Senior midfielder and Chicagoland Soccer All-State Watch List selectee Ian Lee paces the Spartans’ attack with 20 goals and eight assists. Midfield colleague and classmate Steven Rhee has netted 11 goals to go with six assists, and Spartans sophomore midfielder Jackson Lee enters the regular-season finale with
nine goals and six assists.

Glenbrook North junior keeper Gil Meyers owns a 1.2 goals-against average

And Team Glenbrook North possesses an enviable trait: resiliency.

“I’ve been very happy all season with our grit and never-give-up attitude,” Vignocchi said. “We’ve been down in many games this year and have found ways to respond well to adversity.”

St. Ignatius’ top scoring threats are senior forwards Nick Rezza and Diego Garcia and junior midfielder Roman Marsh, Miller noted.

Rezza also made the All-State Watch List.

“We’re confident heading into the playoffs,” Miller said. “I like our team camaraderie and work ethic. We have a couple injured starters, but we have depth.”

St. Ignatius finished sixth (2-4-1) in the ultra-competitive Chicago Catholic League Blue Division. Three of the defeats were of the one-goal variety, including 2-1 decisions against no. 12 Brother Rice and 13th-ranked Marmion.

Glenbrook North, a regional host, opens its playoff season against either 16th-seeded Libertyville or 17th-seeded Wheeling at 5 p.m. Oct. 18. St. Ignatius plays either 15th-seeded Intrinsic or 18th-seeded Clemente in a Hancock Regional semifinal at 4:30 p.m. Oct. 17.

“We’ll focus on all aspects and break down each part so we limit mistakes,” Vignocchi said of the Spartans’ postseason prep after Thursday’s contest in Northbrook.