Batavia, St. Charles North return
home for key conference clash
By Dave Owen
Batavia and St. Charles North each made weekend treks to the Adidas Tournament of Champions in Burlington, Iowa.
Both elite squads will be significantly closer to home Tuesday when they square off in a marquee matchup that could have deep ramifications in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division race.
St. Charles North (10-3-1, 2-0-0 and ranked no. 6 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25) and Batavia (12-3-0, 2-0-0 and 14th-ranked) square off at Tri-Cities soccer night at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Geneva High School.
Host Geneva (11-3-1) and St. Charles East (12-3-0) meet at 5 p.m. in a duel of top 10-ranked squads.
St. Charles North posted impressive mid-April wins over New Trier and St. Charles East, helping them secure a no. 1 seed at sectionals.
“I feel our overall team play has been an asset to us as of late,” North Stars coach Brian Harks said. “We’ve been doing a much better job connecting with one another, and communicating throughout the field.
“A large part of the success that we have been having lately is a result of the girls working for one another. I would say that it’s a true team effort.”
Now another big challenge awaits the Stars.
“Our goal against a talented team like Batavia is to work as hard as we possibly can for 80 minutes,” Harks said. “We need to make sure that there are no breaks in the game, physically or mentally.”
Batavia has a similarly impressive resume (including eight-straight wins to open 2016) and an identical outlook on a match Tuesday where any mistake could prove decisive.
“The keys to the match will be to match their intensity and physicality for 80 minutes,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “They are a quality team that brings a lot of energy to a match.
“We will need to communicate well, play the ball quickly, and finish our chances.”
Batavia had won three games in a row before a 2-1 setback to 2015 state semifinalist Collinsville in Iowa.
“We’ve been doing a nice job of matching intensity and physicality of other teams recently,” Gianfrancesco said. “Also our speed of play has been pretty good.
“The collective effort by the entire team has been instrumental to our success throughout the season.”
Each team had virtually similar results in Iowa: Batavia was 1-1 with one match cancelled by weather, and St. Charles North went 1-1-1 (including a 3-0 loss to Kansas City-area power St. Thomas Aquinas).
“I think that our girls left Iowa a little dissatisfied,” Harks said. “While we had a good experience against quality teams, I know that we did not have the end results that we hoped for.
“However, in any game win or lose, there is always something to learn. I’m excited to see how we come out to play this week.”
To Gianfrancesco, his team’s rugged late season schedule is perfect state tournament preparation.
“The Iowa tournament and the next four games we have will raise our level of play for the playoffs,” he said. “We couldn't have planned it any better.
“Regardless of the results, we will be fully tested prior to the playoffs after this set of matches.”
Batavia closes the season with Southwest Prairie Conference title contender Oswego and conference powerhouses St. Charles East and Geneva.
home for key conference clash
By Dave Owen
Batavia and St. Charles North each made weekend treks to the Adidas Tournament of Champions in Burlington, Iowa.
Both elite squads will be significantly closer to home Tuesday when they square off in a marquee matchup that could have deep ramifications in the Upstate Eight Conference River Division race.
St. Charles North (10-3-1, 2-0-0 and ranked no. 6 in the latest Chicagoland Soccer Top 25) and Batavia (12-3-0, 2-0-0 and 14th-ranked) square off at Tri-Cities soccer night at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Geneva High School.
Host Geneva (11-3-1) and St. Charles East (12-3-0) meet at 5 p.m. in a duel of top 10-ranked squads.
St. Charles North posted impressive mid-April wins over New Trier and St. Charles East, helping them secure a no. 1 seed at sectionals.
“I feel our overall team play has been an asset to us as of late,” North Stars coach Brian Harks said. “We’ve been doing a much better job connecting with one another, and communicating throughout the field.
“A large part of the success that we have been having lately is a result of the girls working for one another. I would say that it’s a true team effort.”
Now another big challenge awaits the Stars.
“Our goal against a talented team like Batavia is to work as hard as we possibly can for 80 minutes,” Harks said. “We need to make sure that there are no breaks in the game, physically or mentally.”
Batavia has a similarly impressive resume (including eight-straight wins to open 2016) and an identical outlook on a match Tuesday where any mistake could prove decisive.
“The keys to the match will be to match their intensity and physicality for 80 minutes,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “They are a quality team that brings a lot of energy to a match.
“We will need to communicate well, play the ball quickly, and finish our chances.”
Batavia had won three games in a row before a 2-1 setback to 2015 state semifinalist Collinsville in Iowa.
“We’ve been doing a nice job of matching intensity and physicality of other teams recently,” Gianfrancesco said. “Also our speed of play has been pretty good.
“The collective effort by the entire team has been instrumental to our success throughout the season.”
Each team had virtually similar results in Iowa: Batavia was 1-1 with one match cancelled by weather, and St. Charles North went 1-1-1 (including a 3-0 loss to Kansas City-area power St. Thomas Aquinas).
“I think that our girls left Iowa a little dissatisfied,” Harks said. “While we had a good experience against quality teams, I know that we did not have the end results that we hoped for.
“However, in any game win or lose, there is always something to learn. I’m excited to see how we come out to play this week.”
To Gianfrancesco, his team’s rugged late season schedule is perfect state tournament preparation.
“The Iowa tournament and the next four games we have will raise our level of play for the playoffs,” he said. “We couldn't have planned it any better.
“Regardless of the results, we will be fully tested prior to the playoffs after this set of matches.”
Batavia closes the season with Southwest Prairie Conference title contender Oswego and conference powerhouses St. Charles East and Geneva.