ST. CHARLES – With barely a cloud in the sky, Laney Stark produced a lightning strike Tuesday night.

A full moon combined with a near-capacity Tri-Cities Night crowd to create a special atmosphere. The community event raised money for a local Geneva family and featured numerous activities for spectators at St. Charles North.

DuKane Conference members battled on the two-match bill.

After Geneva posted a 2-0 victory over Batavia in the opener, the St. Charles North-St. Charles East game rolled out as the marquee attraction.

And Stark, just like she was last season against the Saints, stood out as a force of nature.

Instead of using her head or strong right leg, Stark improvised in the meeting of highly ranked and motivated neighborhood rivals. She let the ball hit her stomach and roll into the back of the net for the lone goal in the tense match.

Stark’s netter came in the seventh minute and sparked the North Stars to the win over the visiting Fighting Saints on the pleasant evening. The only goal came about after afoul in the left corner that allowed shot-creator extraordinaire Juliana Park to show her skill. She sent the pass to Stark, who was stationed in front of the far post.

Stark, the Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match, raised her season goal total to a team-high 10.

With the win, St. Charles North (8-2-4, 2-1-1) handed St. Charles East (12-2-3, 2-1-0) its second loss of the season and first in the league. The Fighting Saints’ first loss came in a 3-0 blanking by Crystal Lake Central in the Rose Augsburg-Drach Invitational on March 19. St. Charles East, ranked 15th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, posted a 10-0-2 mark between the defeats.

“It was a foul restart that came across like a corner, and my mentality was I was going to get it,” Stark said of her goal. “It was really early. I think that goal changed the momentum right from the beginning, because we’ve been having trouble scoring lately. 

“I think that goal right away gave us that mentality that we could score and win the game. I think it’s good to get the win, but we have to work on finishing our chances. It’s awesome to win it again. Last year was so much fun. We know a lot of players on their team also because of club, so it makes it that much more awesome.”

The Wisconsin-Green Bay recruit deflated the visitors with her goal, which marked the fourth-straight time dating back to last season that St. Charles North has won in the rivalry. The biggest victory came in the thrilling Class 3A West Chicago Sectional championship game decided in penalty kicks. In that win the North Stars, who currently sit at no. 20 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, scored goals late in regulation and in the first overtime to extend the game and grab the victory from the Saints in a fashion that time might not erase.

St. Charles East senior defender Mackenzie Loomis, an Eastern Michigan recruit, is one of the top players in Chicagoland. A tall and physical all-stater, who presents a high IQ on the field, admitted the early goal crushed her team.

“It was a rough game,” Loomis said. “We definitely came into this with a lot of confidence. We wanted to show ourselves and our coaches that we could be successful in this game. Although we didn’t get the outcome we wanted, it was a good game to see where we are at this point of the season. It was definitely a progress check for us. They’re a great team. We just came up short. It was a great game. We struggled a bit scoring goals. It was a defensive game, for sure.”

Tri-Cities Night was a memorable night for the community. Youth soccer players ran around the main grandstand and participated in pre-game and halftime soccer games. A young kid even proudly displayed a blue-colored Mohawk.

But the North Stars managed to steal the show with their stellar play on both ends.

St. Charles North coach Brian Harks was all smiles following the victory.

“I think the team showed a lot of trust in one another, and they bought the effort and energy the entire night,” Harks said. “You knew there was going to be a lot of energy just because it’s the cross-town classic, but the girls stepped up and executed when necessary.”

St. Charles East coach Vince DiNuzzo said the emotional game should benefit his players, especially the freshmen. 

St. Charles East goalie Sidney Lazenby was outstanding in the net, deflecting, leaping and grabbing shots to limit the home team to the one goal. Lazenby recorded four saves. St. Charles North goalie Lauren Korioth picked up the clean-sheet following a three-save outing.

“It wasn’t night and day,” DiNuzzo said. “I don’t think we got beat (that bad). Their goalie made several saves on set pieces, so credit to her. … That goal was tough, the way it transpired in terms of the minute. It kind of deflated us right off the bat, and they kept up the energy and won the battle of the midfield. 

“Sidney was great in goal today. Mackenzie Loomis was a beast out there at centerback. We had a lot of kids playing out there for first time against North. You don’t realize how big of a moment that is for the kids. It means a lot for them. We had four or five freshmen starting today. These minutes will help them down the road, especially if we see St. Charles North again.

“I thought our backline did a lot to deter a lot of their attacks. St. Charles North had a couple of chances, that if they got on frame would’ve caused us some problems. Avery had a great block. We have to score a goal to win the game. We kind of ran out of gas.”

Stark said the victory for the North Stars helped take away some of the sting from recent losses to Wheaton Warrenville South and Waubonsie Valley.

“We’ve been waiting for this game and been talking about it a long time,” Stark said. “We’ve been trying to come back from some hard games and losses. We really showed today we can play as a team and are only getting better.”

Park said the North Stars played solid for the whole match. The senior midfielder also had her stamp on the win by pushing the offensive attack with several shots. She drilled an attempt that was saved in the 17th minute and almost scored on a free kick in the 55th minute.

Park, who has four goals and two assists this season, overshot a close attempt in the 63rd minute but came away happy with the win. The North Stars had a goal negated due to an offside call in the middle of the second half.

“We were aggressive and positive and that helped us in the win,” Park said.

Harks said the early goal sparked the team, while noting his defense held tight.

“It started with those 50/50 balls,” he said. “I thought the girls stepped up and won a lot of them. Our players’ anticipation of the second ball and ability to settle and connect was the start to that. Our backline and goalkeeper were super disciplined and composed, even when bodies were in the box. 

“Our goalkeeper was able to make the simple play. We were coming off a game we struggled. We talked a lot about execution and making the most of an opportunity when it comes. We know St. Charles East is a very disciplined team with a quality backline and amazing goalkeeper, so we knew the chances weren’t going to be plentiful. Laney made the most of her opportunity.”

Harks praised several of his players who have fueled his team’s late-season surge.

“Kyra Treanor is strong, athletic and composed in the back,” he said. “She does a fantastic job cleaning up the backline and shutting down any opposing forwards. Laney Stark is a hard-nosed player that is a physical presence on the field. She generates turnovers and has the ability to find the back of the net. Kayla Floyd dominates the air game in the middle of the pitch. She’s also a very creative passer, and she does a good job getting her teammates the ball.”

On the other end of the field, Loomis was upset with the defeat but took a long-range approach discussing the potential growth from playing such a physical and emotionally demanding game.

“I have so much confidence in the entire backline, even the subs and just everyone,” she said. “We worked together as a team and believed in each other. We played great today. Our next game, we have to work on our shots, not just giving up after being scored on seven minutes into a game. That will make a huge difference.”
 

Starting lineups
 
St. Charles East
GK: Sidney Lazenby
D: Presley Kannaka
D: Mackenzie Loomis
D: Abbey Petrick
D: Averie Foulkes
MF: Sophia Wollenberg
MF: Georgia Desario
MF: Alli Saviano
MF: Payton Rivard
F: Tatum Smith
F: Lilli Margewich
 
St. Charles North
GK: Lauren Korioth
D: Chloe Kirsten
D: Abby Sims
D: Kyra Treanor
D: Aubri Magana
MF: Kayla Floyd
MF: Keira Kelly
MF: Juliana Park
F: Kaitline Glenn
F: Laney Stark
F: Rian Spaulding
 
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Laney Stark, sr., F, St. Charles North

 
Scoring summary

First half
St. Charles North: Stark (Park), 7’
 
Second half
No scoring