St. Charles North’s Park corners Geneva
Host wins 2-1 on corner kick deflections in high-intensity DKC tilt
By Gary Larsen
ST. CHARLES — Technically, the argument could be made that Geneva outscored St. Charles North 3-0 but lost on Tuesday, as Geneva coach Megan Owens can explain:
“We scored all three goals in the game,” Owens said. “It’s just that two of them were in the wrong net.”
A pair of corner kicks that curled in off the left foot of St. Charles North’s Juliana Park were the difference in 2-1 DuKane Conference win for St. Charles North.
Both of Park’s second half corners stayed low and bent in towards the near post. Each time they went in off a Geneva defender.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said.
In fact, both teams played good soccer in St. Charles. Payton Dominguez struck for Geneva’s lone goal as all of the evening’s scoring came in the second half.
St. Charles North, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, took on a 22nd-ranked Geneva team that was every bit up to the task. St. Charles North’s size was countered by Geneva’s grit through most of a game that saw quality scoring-chances both ways for 80 minutes.
After a scoreless first half, it was attacking pressure from St. Charles North that led to Park’s first corner kick goal in the 42nd minute.
It hit a defender and snuck inside the near post off the hands of diving Geneva keeper Jordan Forbes.
“I just kind of aimed it to curve it in and try to get a goal,” Parks said. “But I think we played well. We worked hard, and in the end we pulled it off. We were a little off at the start, but we got it together and got the win.”
Geneva answered Park’s goal with attacking pressure. The Vikings earned several corner kicks to the 46th minute. After a failed clearing attempt, Payton Dominguez knotted the game in the 47th minute, blistering a low shot inside the near post on the left side from 15 yards.
“I just got an adrenaline rush. I saw the ball, took a touch and just blasted it,” Dominguez said.
“I think we did a good job connecting and playing out of the back today. Our bench was really fired up, which also gave us some confidence. St. Charles North is super good, but we stepped to the ball today. I liked the intensity from our side, playing to their level.”
Park’s game-winner came in the 70th minute and was a virtual replica of her first corner kick goal. Geneva battled down the stretch but couldn’t find a second equalizer.
St. Charles North improved to 8-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in DKC play, while Geneva fell to 9-3-0, 1-1-0.
The North Stars were happy to meet the challenge that Geneva gave them Tuesday.
“They’re strong in the counterattack and in the pressure they’re able to put on,” St. Charles North defender Lauren Balster said of Geneva. “They have quality players, and you can never underestimate them. At the same time, I thought our possession was far better today.
“This was a great test to see where we’re at and how we are under pressure. As we get into the playoffs and more high-intensity games, a game like this is a good test to see where we’re at.”
Geneva’s coach was left to ponder what might have been and almost was.
“I thought we played really well and kind of gave the game away on two own-goals,” Owens said. “It’s unfortunate but we’ll learn from it. It’s fixable, and we’ll learn from it. I hope we get to see them again this season, because it was a great game on both sides. We had our opportunities and just defensively had those two lapses.”
Geneva played without one of its leading scorers in Morgan Rudowicz, who was sitting due to a soft red card. Others played through injuries and soreness after the Vikings played two games with a short turnaround Saturday in a runnerup finish at the Plainfield Classic.
“We had to plug a couple of different kids in, but they played well. Our effort, our intensity — we had them on their heels a lot today,” Owens said. “We connected; we attacked; we threatened. There were a lot of positives.
“I thought Payton Dominguez played great for us up-top, and our backline (Cami Bishop, Isabella Walls, Leyna Yonehara, and Morgan Slagle) was solid. And I thought Caroline Madden and Rilee Hasegawa and Kya (Trejo) all played amazing in the midfield.”
After Tuesday’s scoreless first half ended, St. Charles North spent halftime getting focused on the game’s second 40 minutes.
“Halftime was a chance for us to hit pause on the game, refocus, regroup. I thought our girls did a nice job of executing in the second half,” Harks said. “I was really happy with our effort, so it was just a matter of a couple x’s and o’s things. The girls adjusted really well to it.
“Lauren (Balster) did a fantastic job of being consistent and staying composed. As a defender you rarely get the glory of stats. She was able shut her man down, win the ball, and connect on a consistent basis. That was exactly what we needed, and she brought a calming presence to our backline tonight.
“Our other outside back, Sidney Timms, also played outstanding. Her ability to win the ball, keep it in play and start our attack was excellent.”
Despite not getting in the box score, Michigan State-bound Bella Najera was also prominent all night long for the North Stars.
“Bella is a fantastic player. She controls the game from all aspects, both offensively and defensively,” Harks said. “And both Sophia Hein and Leah Bellock, our wingers, were really able to get end-line and create some dangerous chances for us.”
After the final buzzer sounded on the high-intensity game between longtime area rivals, the handshake line quickly elevated into a few minutes of hugging between North Stars and Vikings players.
“Any Tri-City game is high-quality because all four Tri-City teams are high-level,” Balster said. “I think they’re the top teams in the DuKane Conference, so every game is a big rivalry.
“What makes it even more special is that we’re playing against our friends. We leave our friendships off the field when we go into the game, and it’s a battle, but when it’s over we all hug, and it’s a celebration.
“We’ve all been playing soccer long enough to know that we need to leave those friendships behind on the field, but it is really cool playing against your friends.”
Starting lineups
Geneva
GK Jordan Forbes
D Cami Bishop
D Morgan Slagle
D Isabella Walls
D Leyna Yonehara
M Olivia Rawls
M Alana Rawls
M Caroline Madden
M Aubrey Carli
F Rilee Hasegawa
F Payton Dominguez
St. Charles North
GK Kara Claussner
D Sidney Timms
D Martina Nava
D Lauren Balster
D Abby Vichich
M Kayla Floyd
M Leah Bellock
M Sophia Hein
M Sophie Kirsten
M Bella Najera
F Juliana Park
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Juliana Park, so., F, St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
St. Charles North — Park (CK) 42 minutes
Geneva — Dominguez (UA) 47 minutes
St. Charles North — Park (CK) 70 minutes
Host wins 2-1 on corner kick deflections in high-intensity DKC tilt
By Gary Larsen
ST. CHARLES — Technically, the argument could be made that Geneva outscored St. Charles North 3-0 but lost on Tuesday, as Geneva coach Megan Owens can explain:
“We scored all three goals in the game,” Owens said. “It’s just that two of them were in the wrong net.”
A pair of corner kicks that curled in off the left foot of St. Charles North’s Juliana Park were the difference in 2-1 DuKane Conference win for St. Charles North.
Both of Park’s second half corners stayed low and bent in towards the near post. Each time they went in off a Geneva defender.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said.
In fact, both teams played good soccer in St. Charles. Payton Dominguez struck for Geneva’s lone goal as all of the evening’s scoring came in the second half.
St. Charles North, ranked ninth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, took on a 22nd-ranked Geneva team that was every bit up to the task. St. Charles North’s size was countered by Geneva’s grit through most of a game that saw quality scoring-chances both ways for 80 minutes.
After a scoreless first half, it was attacking pressure from St. Charles North that led to Park’s first corner kick goal in the 42nd minute.
It hit a defender and snuck inside the near post off the hands of diving Geneva keeper Jordan Forbes.
“I just kind of aimed it to curve it in and try to get a goal,” Parks said. “But I think we played well. We worked hard, and in the end we pulled it off. We were a little off at the start, but we got it together and got the win.”
Geneva answered Park’s goal with attacking pressure. The Vikings earned several corner kicks to the 46th minute. After a failed clearing attempt, Payton Dominguez knotted the game in the 47th minute, blistering a low shot inside the near post on the left side from 15 yards.
“I just got an adrenaline rush. I saw the ball, took a touch and just blasted it,” Dominguez said.
“I think we did a good job connecting and playing out of the back today. Our bench was really fired up, which also gave us some confidence. St. Charles North is super good, but we stepped to the ball today. I liked the intensity from our side, playing to their level.”
Park’s game-winner came in the 70th minute and was a virtual replica of her first corner kick goal. Geneva battled down the stretch but couldn’t find a second equalizer.
St. Charles North improved to 8-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in DKC play, while Geneva fell to 9-3-0, 1-1-0.
The North Stars were happy to meet the challenge that Geneva gave them Tuesday.
“They’re strong in the counterattack and in the pressure they’re able to put on,” St. Charles North defender Lauren Balster said of Geneva. “They have quality players, and you can never underestimate them. At the same time, I thought our possession was far better today.
“This was a great test to see where we’re at and how we are under pressure. As we get into the playoffs and more high-intensity games, a game like this is a good test to see where we’re at.”
Geneva’s coach was left to ponder what might have been and almost was.
“I thought we played really well and kind of gave the game away on two own-goals,” Owens said. “It’s unfortunate but we’ll learn from it. It’s fixable, and we’ll learn from it. I hope we get to see them again this season, because it was a great game on both sides. We had our opportunities and just defensively had those two lapses.”
Geneva played without one of its leading scorers in Morgan Rudowicz, who was sitting due to a soft red card. Others played through injuries and soreness after the Vikings played two games with a short turnaround Saturday in a runnerup finish at the Plainfield Classic.
“We had to plug a couple of different kids in, but they played well. Our effort, our intensity — we had them on their heels a lot today,” Owens said. “We connected; we attacked; we threatened. There were a lot of positives.
“I thought Payton Dominguez played great for us up-top, and our backline (Cami Bishop, Isabella Walls, Leyna Yonehara, and Morgan Slagle) was solid. And I thought Caroline Madden and Rilee Hasegawa and Kya (Trejo) all played amazing in the midfield.”
After Tuesday’s scoreless first half ended, St. Charles North spent halftime getting focused on the game’s second 40 minutes.
“Halftime was a chance for us to hit pause on the game, refocus, regroup. I thought our girls did a nice job of executing in the second half,” Harks said. “I was really happy with our effort, so it was just a matter of a couple x’s and o’s things. The girls adjusted really well to it.
“Lauren (Balster) did a fantastic job of being consistent and staying composed. As a defender you rarely get the glory of stats. She was able shut her man down, win the ball, and connect on a consistent basis. That was exactly what we needed, and she brought a calming presence to our backline tonight.
“Our other outside back, Sidney Timms, also played outstanding. Her ability to win the ball, keep it in play and start our attack was excellent.”
Despite not getting in the box score, Michigan State-bound Bella Najera was also prominent all night long for the North Stars.
“Bella is a fantastic player. She controls the game from all aspects, both offensively and defensively,” Harks said. “And both Sophia Hein and Leah Bellock, our wingers, were really able to get end-line and create some dangerous chances for us.”
After the final buzzer sounded on the high-intensity game between longtime area rivals, the handshake line quickly elevated into a few minutes of hugging between North Stars and Vikings players.
“Any Tri-City game is high-quality because all four Tri-City teams are high-level,” Balster said. “I think they’re the top teams in the DuKane Conference, so every game is a big rivalry.
“What makes it even more special is that we’re playing against our friends. We leave our friendships off the field when we go into the game, and it’s a battle, but when it’s over we all hug, and it’s a celebration.
“We’ve all been playing soccer long enough to know that we need to leave those friendships behind on the field, but it is really cool playing against your friends.”
Starting lineups
Geneva
GK Jordan Forbes
D Cami Bishop
D Morgan Slagle
D Isabella Walls
D Leyna Yonehara
M Olivia Rawls
M Alana Rawls
M Caroline Madden
M Aubrey Carli
F Rilee Hasegawa
F Payton Dominguez
St. Charles North
GK Kara Claussner
D Sidney Timms
D Martina Nava
D Lauren Balster
D Abby Vichich
M Kayla Floyd
M Leah Bellock
M Sophia Hein
M Sophie Kirsten
M Bella Najera
F Juliana Park
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Juliana Park, so., F, St. Charles North
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
St. Charles North — Park (CK) 42 minutes
Geneva — Dominguez (UA) 47 minutes
St. Charles North — Park (CK) 70 minutes