ST. CHARLES -- On a glorious late afternoon for soccer, St. Charles North hosted a four-team event that carried a deeper meaning than the final results.

The annual Tri-Cities Night is one of the best days of the season in Kane County, pitting long-standing rivals against each other in DuKane Conference action, raising money for a local family and entertaining guests with giveaways, raffles and a youth soccer exhibition.

The event benefitted the family of James Oliver. The beloved Geneva freshman was a member of the swim team, who passed away from a medical condition earlier this school year.  He was the grandson of Hall of Fame Fighting Saints soccer coach Tim Dailey.

So, it seemed fitting that Geneva took centerstage on the pitch in the opening match vs. Batavia.

In the 15th minute, Geneva sophomore forward Audrey Stredde scored a goal on a tap-in and the Vikings never looked back in a 2-0 win.

Despite her youth, Stredde, the Chicagoland MVP of the Match, is turning into a veteran and expert Tri-Cities scorer. She netted two goals in the victory over Batavia on the big night last spring.

“There was a lot of space out wide in that corner,” Stredde said. “We were just pinging balls back and forth, and I noticed there’s wide-open chances. Caroline Madden was able to serve me the ball.”

Stredde said the near-capacity crowd and the various events and hoopla spurred her to another memorable showing on the pitch.

“The environment is amazing with all these fans, and we were able to pull out another win,” Stredde said. “It was more of a mental game with myself. After last year, I wanted to meet the expectation again. It was awesome, got some momentum going with that spark. Everyone wants to get a goal.”

Geneva coach Megan Owens said the night was a win-win for the community, not just a victory for the Vikings (8-5-0, 2-1-0).

“It was a nice win,” she said. “It’s always nice to play well on Tri-Cities Night, because there’s a lot going on. I’m so thankful that we had such a nice crowd and so many people of the community came out to help the Oliver family. Geneva family. We’re very appreciative for St. Charles North for hosting. 

“In terms of the game, we are always looking to improve. There’re some things we should’ve done better, but granted, it was another windy game.”

Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said his team is battling a second enemy Tuesday night – injuries.  He praised his backline for holding the Vikings’ attack to one goal in the final 65 minutes.

“We have to learn to stick with it,” he said. “I thought we maybe could’ve had an early equalizer there; it went off the crossbar. Geneva played tough and physical. 

“We’re up against it with some injuries. It’s been a struggle. Some girls are playing out of position. The backline did a nice job today. We definitely had to shift some stuff up. Emma Stoodley, Addison Lowe, Amanda Naylor and Reese Recker all locked it down.

“We got good work in the middle from Sarah Koziol and Addison Schaffer. Natalie Warner worked really hard up-top from the striker position. Geneva is a good and physical team. I thought we had a couple of chances pushing in the second half. We have to move onto the next game.”

From the outset, Geneva dominated possession. They had a corner kick and free kick that just missed in the opening five minutes. Ashley Marquardt sailed a shot wide right two minutes before Stredde’s goal.

After seizing the lead, the Vikings had two shots from Marquardt and an attempt from Olivia Rawls that didn’t connect. Rawls nearly scored after a perfect cross in front of the net but missed a shot attempt by a half-second. 

Batavia junior goalie Reagan Sulaver made four saves in the first 40 minutes and ended with six on the night.

The Bulldogs (6-7-0, 1-3-0) had their best chances to tie the game in the first 19 minutes of the second half. The offense was re-energized after the long halftime.

Emma Wecker saw a shot attempt saved in the 49th minute.

Back from a knee injury that sidelined her almost two weeks, Wecker was back in the thick of the action in the 56th minute. Finding herself in a perfect position in the box during a corner kick, Wecker’s header drilled the crossbar on the Bulldogs’ best shot of the game.

“I was really upset about hitting the crossbar but I used that anger to get on the field and go after it,” Wecker said. “I was really disappointed with missing that one.”

Just when the Bulldogs were gaining some confidence from their close calls, Geneva senior Leyna Yonehara scored her first goal of the season and shocked the crowd. The defender powered a 40-plus-yard shot into the back of the net to end the scoring in the 65th minute.

“It felt good,” Yonehara said of her goal. “I just saw the space and we had the wind, so I just had to take it. I was happy it went in. It felt good to get ahead with another goal, and it gave us a buffer.”

Batavia couldn’t create a shot on frame over the final 15 minutes of the match. 

Geneva senior goalie Jordan Forbes needed only one save for the clean-sheet. It’s a source of pride for Yonehara and her backline mates.

“We’ve been working a lot on team defense, so it felt good that everyone was working back behind the ball,” Yonehara said. “We worked together as a team to limit them.”

Gianfrancesco said Geneva was pleased to get forward Wecker back after the knee injury.

“We need to get healthy,” he said. “Emma is coming back from an injury after being out two weeks. We’re trying to ease her back into it. This is her only her second game back. I’m not even playing her full minutes. Then, we had a player get hurt. 

“It’s adding up. That has to change. Knock of wood nobody gets hurt but get the other girls healthy come playoff time. If that happens, we’re in business.  At this point, these are all practice games. In two-and-a-half weeks playoff time, that’s what you want to be ready for.”

Wecker’s return is a good sign for the Bulldogs. She handled the physical game and is slowly working back into game shape.

“I feel pretty good,” Wecker said. “This is my first game getting a lot of minutes. I’m working on and getting used to making adjustments with the team with more players out. I’m feeling good. We had a loss today, but we stayed physical. We stuck with it. We’re working with the injuries. We’re making adjustments, but we’re finding our way back.”

Geneva senior defender Lilly Coats, a four-year veteran of Tri-Cities Night, summed up her team’s victory and the community event in perfect fashion.

“It’s great to be out in this atmosphere with the community all around us. Getting all the Tri-Cities together, especially to support such an amazing cause for the Oliver family since they are a member of our school, and we can get out and support them with all of these fundraisers and gift cards,” Coats said. “It’s also great to get a win for Geneva, too.  

“We all were fighting for each other. Obviously, Batavia is our rival, and we all want to do great against them. We just hold each other to such high standards and all care about each other so much on the field. We look to find those passes through the midfield and connect with each other off the field and on the field. That translates so much. This win will really help us for seeding. We’re glad to go this one, especially with such great goals by Aubrey and Leyna.”

Back in the far corner of the stadium, a few minutes before the start of the second game between St. Charles East and St. Charles North, Owens discussed the quality win in detail but pointed out the need for improvement.

“At this point, you are trying to look toward the postseason and build and raise the bar each and every game,” Owen said. “The win is nice, but I feel coaches are never satisfied. We want to push them to reach their best and get ready for the postseason. I think our defense did a nice job. 

“Olivia Rawls did a nice job for us creating up-top. Cami Bishop did a great job for us on the backline, as did Lilly and Leyna. At this point of that season, you want to get healthy and work on the little things. This win helps. because they are in our sectional.

“I think the goals were nice,” she continued. “I think we had a lot of opportunities but couldn’t finish. We have to shore that up. They were two nice strikes. You have to love the ball goes in the back of the net.

“And it was a positive night for the Oliver family.

 
 
Starting lineups
 
Batavia
GK: Reagan Sulaver
D: Addison Lowe
D: Amanda Naylor
D: Emma Stoodley
D: Alexa Schorr
MF: Reese Recker
MF: Addison Schaffer
MF: Sarah Koziol
F: Natalie Warner
F: Abi Edwards
F: Emma Wecker
 
Geneva
GK: Jordan Forbes
D: Cami Bishop
D: Hope leler
D: Leyna Yonehara
D: Riley Pryor
D: Lilly Coats
MF: Evyn Schokora
MF: Caroline Madden
MF: Ashley Marquardt
F: Olivia Rawls
F: Aubrey Stredde
 
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Audrey Stredde, so., F, Geneva
 

Scoring summary

First half
Geneva:  Stredde (Madden), 15’
 
Second half
Geneva: Yonehara (unassisted), 65’