SCE ends 6-year drought vs. SCN
Saints win 3-0 to continue dominant season-opening run
By Aidan Foertsch
ST. CHARLES -- There’s a new sheriff in St. Charles this year.
St. Charles North’s six-year winning streak against rival St. Charles East finally ended Saturday in a 3-0 win for the Saints, who got a goal from senior Jenna Sitta and two from senior Megan Sreniawski.
The win launched St. Charles East (8-0-0, 5-0-0 in DuKane Conference play) to the top spot in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Saints outscored their opponents 48-1 through their first eight games.
But topping rival St. Charles North (2-3-2, 2-2-1) likely meant more to the Saints than any statistics, or their place on any rankings list.
“It felt really good to get this win, especially since we watched North dominate while in middle school, and now it's our turn,” Sitta said. “I’m just happy we were able to be a part of the team that took them down.
“Coming into the season, we knew we had unfinished business. We are not only playing for this year's seniors, but for all of the kids last year who didn't get a chance to play.”
Saints coach Vince DiNuzzo was happy for his players, none of whom were close to high school age the last time East beat North.
“It’s a weight off our shoulders for sure, and I think it’ll be good for our kids' confidence and the overall program,” DiNuzzo said. “They’ve been dominant for so long and now hopefully it’s our turn.”
Mother Nature played a major role in the contest. Early in the first half, with winds upward of 20 miles per hour at East’s back, Sreniawski located a shot from 32 yards and let it fly.
Her blast from distance was all but unsaveable.
Sreniawski was excited about the win, especially since it was her first season with the high school team after playing club.
“I took a touch and saw an open lane and just said to myself I'm going to hit this, and it went in,” Sreniawski said. Her strategy broke the ice for St. Charles East in the 17th minute.
A Saints team with a stiff wind at its back accosted the North Stars’ backline throughout the first 40 minutes. At 25 minutes, Sitta spun by two defenders and scored from 10 yards to make it 2-0.
North keeper Kara Claussner did all she could in the face of the Saints’ onslaught and made several nice stops in the second half.
“Kara is a sophomore, and she’s relatively new to high school soccer, but she keeps getting better every single day,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said.
“I was proud of everybody’s work rate today. Makenna Collins did a nice job on the backline in stopping some opportunities. Seniors Grace Barresi and Bridget Wolf are back there with her, and (junior) Martina Nava has added to the backline this year.”
His North Stars’ attack picked up more steam with the wind at its back in the second half, but Sreniawski finished her brace and the day's scoring when she made it 3-0 at 67 minutes from 12 yards.
“We have’t even seen the best of (Sreniawski) yet,” DiNuzzo said. “We can’t wait until she touches the ball more."
A big part of the Saints’ success has also been their defense, which has only let in one goal through eight games. Defenders Jessica Stepien, Lindsey Rzeszutko, Anna Champine, Megan Stout, Sydney Smith, and Ashley Brummell have all shined in front of keepers Grace Stehman and Sofia Iori.
“I think our defensive line has been playing really well, and we have had a lot of new talent that has stepped up this season,” senior tri-captain Stepien said. “We have been communicating really well and have been really organized this season.”
DiNuzzo applauded the day’s work put in by Stepien in helping to slow down North forward Bella Najera. He applauded the defense for its excellent play thus far, though it seems that he sees more than good organization in his backline.
“We were able to shut down two good chances today due to the incredibly high work rate from the kids this year,” DiNuzzo said. “They’re overwhelming opponents at times. They’re playing well, so hopefully we can stay healthy.”
The Saints' won comfortably despite senior tri-captain Hannah Miller having a snake-bit day. The forward blistered a shot from distance off the post just eight minutes into the game and sent multiple scoring chances whipping just wide and over the goal through 80 minutes.
But Miller and the Saints haven’t missed too many scoring chances in 2021. The Saints averaged six goals per game through their first eight games.
“We feel like we have a lot of talent in the final third,” DiNuzzo said. “Not only our forwards but our midfielders as well. We have a center mid (Ashley Stellon) with seven goals and 12 assists.”
While St. Charles North was kept off of the board, they did have a few good chances against the impressive Saints defense, including one from Nava in the 73rd minute. Stehman made the stop among her four saves in the second half.
The North Stars have six sophomores and three freshmen on their roster this year. So far senior and varsity veteran Makenna Collins likes what she’s seeing.
“Some of our youngest players have been the best additions to the team this year,” Collins said. “They come in understanding the culture, and it helps when younger players can jump right in, even after a two-week delay to our season. The physicality of teams like East might be new to them, but hopefully our senior leadership has made it easier for them.”
Harks’ young players had a tall order to fill against an East team loaded with key upperclassmen.
“We have lots of underclassmen this year, and they’re still getting their feet wet, so some games against bigger teams will have a bit more of a learning curve for us,” Harks said. “But every day, they’re getting a little bit better.”
The youth of the North Stars is promising, but for now it’s the Saints who run St. Charles, at least until May 20 when the duo meet up for a rematch at St. Charles East.
Gary Larsen contributed to this story.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Sofia Iori
D Jessica Stepien
D Anna Champine
D Megan Stout
D Lindsey Rzeszutko
M McKenna Gahagan
M Ashley Stellon
M Madison Brusven
F Jenna Sitta
F Hannah Miller
F Megan Sreniawski
St. Charles North
GK Kara Claussner
D Grace Barresi
D Makenna Collins
D Bridget Wolf
D Martina Nava
M Maddie Rossi
M Sophie Kirsten
M Abby Vichich
M Talia Pellegrini
F Bella Najera
F Juliana Park
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Megan Sreniawski, sr., F, St. Charles East
Scoring summary
First half
St. Charles East — Sreniawski (UA) 17 minutes
St. Charles East — Sitta (UA) 25 minutes
Second half
St. Charles East — Sreniawski (UA) 67 minutes.
Saints win 3-0 to continue dominant season-opening run
By Aidan Foertsch
ST. CHARLES -- There’s a new sheriff in St. Charles this year.
St. Charles North’s six-year winning streak against rival St. Charles East finally ended Saturday in a 3-0 win for the Saints, who got a goal from senior Jenna Sitta and two from senior Megan Sreniawski.
The win launched St. Charles East (8-0-0, 5-0-0 in DuKane Conference play) to the top spot in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. The Saints outscored their opponents 48-1 through their first eight games.
But topping rival St. Charles North (2-3-2, 2-2-1) likely meant more to the Saints than any statistics, or their place on any rankings list.
“It felt really good to get this win, especially since we watched North dominate while in middle school, and now it's our turn,” Sitta said. “I’m just happy we were able to be a part of the team that took them down.
“Coming into the season, we knew we had unfinished business. We are not only playing for this year's seniors, but for all of the kids last year who didn't get a chance to play.”
Saints coach Vince DiNuzzo was happy for his players, none of whom were close to high school age the last time East beat North.
“It’s a weight off our shoulders for sure, and I think it’ll be good for our kids' confidence and the overall program,” DiNuzzo said. “They’ve been dominant for so long and now hopefully it’s our turn.”
Mother Nature played a major role in the contest. Early in the first half, with winds upward of 20 miles per hour at East’s back, Sreniawski located a shot from 32 yards and let it fly.
Her blast from distance was all but unsaveable.
Sreniawski was excited about the win, especially since it was her first season with the high school team after playing club.
“I took a touch and saw an open lane and just said to myself I'm going to hit this, and it went in,” Sreniawski said. Her strategy broke the ice for St. Charles East in the 17th minute.
A Saints team with a stiff wind at its back accosted the North Stars’ backline throughout the first 40 minutes. At 25 minutes, Sitta spun by two defenders and scored from 10 yards to make it 2-0.
North keeper Kara Claussner did all she could in the face of the Saints’ onslaught and made several nice stops in the second half.
“Kara is a sophomore, and she’s relatively new to high school soccer, but she keeps getting better every single day,” St. Charles North coach Brian Harks said.
“I was proud of everybody’s work rate today. Makenna Collins did a nice job on the backline in stopping some opportunities. Seniors Grace Barresi and Bridget Wolf are back there with her, and (junior) Martina Nava has added to the backline this year.”
His North Stars’ attack picked up more steam with the wind at its back in the second half, but Sreniawski finished her brace and the day's scoring when she made it 3-0 at 67 minutes from 12 yards.
“We have’t even seen the best of (Sreniawski) yet,” DiNuzzo said. “We can’t wait until she touches the ball more."
A big part of the Saints’ success has also been their defense, which has only let in one goal through eight games. Defenders Jessica Stepien, Lindsey Rzeszutko, Anna Champine, Megan Stout, Sydney Smith, and Ashley Brummell have all shined in front of keepers Grace Stehman and Sofia Iori.
“I think our defensive line has been playing really well, and we have had a lot of new talent that has stepped up this season,” senior tri-captain Stepien said. “We have been communicating really well and have been really organized this season.”
DiNuzzo applauded the day’s work put in by Stepien in helping to slow down North forward Bella Najera. He applauded the defense for its excellent play thus far, though it seems that he sees more than good organization in his backline.
“We were able to shut down two good chances today due to the incredibly high work rate from the kids this year,” DiNuzzo said. “They’re overwhelming opponents at times. They’re playing well, so hopefully we can stay healthy.”
The Saints' won comfortably despite senior tri-captain Hannah Miller having a snake-bit day. The forward blistered a shot from distance off the post just eight minutes into the game and sent multiple scoring chances whipping just wide and over the goal through 80 minutes.
But Miller and the Saints haven’t missed too many scoring chances in 2021. The Saints averaged six goals per game through their first eight games.
“We feel like we have a lot of talent in the final third,” DiNuzzo said. “Not only our forwards but our midfielders as well. We have a center mid (Ashley Stellon) with seven goals and 12 assists.”
While St. Charles North was kept off of the board, they did have a few good chances against the impressive Saints defense, including one from Nava in the 73rd minute. Stehman made the stop among her four saves in the second half.
The North Stars have six sophomores and three freshmen on their roster this year. So far senior and varsity veteran Makenna Collins likes what she’s seeing.
“Some of our youngest players have been the best additions to the team this year,” Collins said. “They come in understanding the culture, and it helps when younger players can jump right in, even after a two-week delay to our season. The physicality of teams like East might be new to them, but hopefully our senior leadership has made it easier for them.”
Harks’ young players had a tall order to fill against an East team loaded with key upperclassmen.
“We have lots of underclassmen this year, and they’re still getting their feet wet, so some games against bigger teams will have a bit more of a learning curve for us,” Harks said. “But every day, they’re getting a little bit better.”
The youth of the North Stars is promising, but for now it’s the Saints who run St. Charles, at least until May 20 when the duo meet up for a rematch at St. Charles East.
Gary Larsen contributed to this story.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Sofia Iori
D Jessica Stepien
D Anna Champine
D Megan Stout
D Lindsey Rzeszutko
M McKenna Gahagan
M Ashley Stellon
M Madison Brusven
F Jenna Sitta
F Hannah Miller
F Megan Sreniawski
St. Charles North
GK Kara Claussner
D Grace Barresi
D Makenna Collins
D Bridget Wolf
D Martina Nava
M Maddie Rossi
M Sophie Kirsten
M Abby Vichich
M Talia Pellegrini
F Bella Najera
F Juliana Park
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Megan Sreniawski, sr., F, St. Charles East
Scoring summary
First half
St. Charles East — Sreniawski (UA) 17 minutes
St. Charles East — Sitta (UA) 25 minutes
Second half
St. Charles East — Sreniawski (UA) 67 minutes.