Stunning East elation, North deflation
in battle of St. Charles
Saints shock no. 4 North Stars with 3-0 road win
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES --- On paper it was a ill-matched matchup.
On the pitch, it became the latest, and possibly most unlikely, new chapter in this heated crosstown rivalry.
In the Battle of St. Charles, North High School was fresh off a shootout triumph over no. 5-rated Waukegan to capture one of the four PepsiCo Showdown bracket championships.
As a result, the North Stars achieved their highest standing, fourth, in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. In addition, the hosts for Tuesday night’s meeting entered on a nine-game (6-0-3) unbeaten streak since Aug. 29.
By contrast, East entered having gone five-straight games without a victory (0-3-2). Rated 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer preseason rankings, it took two weeks for the Saints to disappear from the poll and ultimately drop into a tie for the cellar of the Upstate Eight Conference’s River Division.
However, the nature of “the throw the records out the window” rivalry was evident after the final horn.
St. Charles East Athletic Director Mike Sommerfeld pulled out his smart phone and in the seconds it took to activate the photo feature, the final 3-0 Saints victory was already wiped off the scoreboard before the image could be captured.
But on the field, the disappointment of the North Stars players remained a stark contrast to the euphoria shown by East's players, fans and parents.
North’s records dipped to 9-2-3 overall and 1-1-1 in league play. East improved to 3-6-4 and 1-2-1.
The stunning three-goal Saints victory renews hopes for others after a UEC River title. Last year, the North Stars (4-1-1, 13 points) edged East (4-2-0, 12 points). In 2015, the two shared the crown with identical records of 5-1-0 and 15 points.
Though it required scoring within the last six minutes for North to claim one-goal wins over East the last two years (3-2 in 2016 and 2-1 in 2015), the start appeared promising for the host team.
Fifty seconds in, 2016 Chicagoland Soccer All-State pick Peter Willis had a header from a corner kick sail too high. A minute later, team scoring leader Jake Persenico enjoyed a right-side fastbreak but his shot went wide left. Bernard Elegbede, who had the first and last strikes in last year’s triumph, also missed just wide.
Six minutes in, the momentum swung in East’s favor. George Maridis set up Truitt Battin on the right for a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar. A minute later, a Battin direct kick from the left wing was caught by North goalie Piercarlo Ricossa, who owns four of the North Stars’ five clean sheets.
But then at 16:35, Maridis again fed the ball to Battin on the far right. The East junior cut back on one defender and headed toward the middle before suddenly cranking a left-footed blast for his team-high seventh goal of the year. Perhaps momentarily screened, the shot eluded Ricossa’s dive to his left and stayed inside the right post.
“Going into this meeting and having played club soccer with so many of their players, they knew some of my moves. But I saw an opening and slotted a left-footer,” Battin explained. “It was important in helping get us get momentum and create a winning mindset for us.”
“He’s money,” Maridis said in regard to setting up Battin. “We’ve got chemistry having played together (at East and in club ball), so I trust him to finish.”
Long before it turned into the game-winner, that goal, several near-goals, and countless big plays and quality touches made Battin Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
“No question in my mind that he was the most dangerous player on the field at all times,” East coach Vince DiNuzzo stated in endorsing the selection. “Right off the bat, he misses by a hair, 10 minutes later he gets the same type of opportunity and it becomes the first goal. That was a real change-point for us. It was instrumental in lifting the team’s confidence and determination.”
DiNuzzo both hopes and believes the timing of the win couldn’t have come at a better time. While North was St. Charles East's highest-ranked foe, it was also its seventh opponent listed in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Consider four one-goal losses and three draws, and the relief is obvious.
“We needed this one. We’ve been so close. Even one goal the other way earlier could have changed so many of our losses,” DiNuzzo lamented. “I know we’re capable of playing with anyone, but this showing right before seeding backs up what I believe. There’s no denying our kids came to play and did so for a full 80 minutes. That was the difference, right to the end. We weren’t going to give up.”
Beyond North’s 0-0 deadlock with no. 17 Streamwood, no one had kept the North Stars off the scoreboard.
North threatened to equalize at 24:41, but Saints keeper Zach Kennedy managed to keep the ball from completely crossing the goal line while absorbing a collision that dislodged the entire goal. Minutes later, he timed a jump perfectly to punch away a pass to Elegbede.
Only 1:47 prior to halftime, a 41-yard missile from St. Charles East's Gray Biddle left the crossbar vibrating.
“We talked about the first 10 minutes, what to expect when play settled in, the push needed right before and after halftime,” DiNuzzo said. “We talked about what they would be saying in their huddle and how to respond to it.”
Less than two minutes after the restart, Battin had a 36-yard direct kick sail above the crossbar as a follow-up to Biddle’s pre-halftime near goal. Saints tri-captain Riley Arnold cut off a pass at midfield and sent a potential through-ball bouncing toward the box. Maridis got the touch needed to chip it over Ricossa’s outward rush. The nearest North Stars defender couldn’t recover for a clearance before the ball was crossed the line.
“An opportunity like that happens so quickly you don’t get to think too much,” Maridis said. “It was basically a three-yard sprint to the ball and get your foot to it with the right touch. It’s probably my first goal off a chip shot.”
Five minutes later, Battin bulled the ball forward in a collision with a defender and Ricossa again raced forward. This time the North Stars were able to clear the ball before it could enter the goal.
There was 27:49 left in regulation when Jameson D’Amico lashed a free kick off the Saints’ defensive wall and the ensuing carom was put back on frame. That’s when Kennedy made a highlight-reel worthy save at the peak of his jump and fisted the ball over the crossbar. That corner kick led to a North header that was too high.
So did Kennedy have any doubt about being able to make the save that kept it from becoming a nail-biting 2-1 margin?
“You simply have to believe you’ll make that save,” Kennedy said. “Especially in a rivalry game, the pressure is nonstop. When we were up 1-0, I just wanted to finish the half one up. When we led 2-0, my thinking was never let your guard down. Then at 3-0, don’t give them a reason to hope.”
Obviously the rivalry aspect and the victory made the shutout that much more significant for Kennedy, whose other clean sheet came in a 0-0 draw versus Niles West in New Trier’s Northside College Showcase.
With the North Stars attempting to ramp up their attack, East found a counter opportunity. Biddle fed the ball to Battin who sent it back for a Biddle boomer that Ricossa batted wide. There was 16:39 still to play when Elegbede hit a cannon shot from 19 yards out that Kennedy secured.
The Saints’ Biddle put yet another long-distance free kick off the crossbar. North rushed back on attack, but East’s Rajin Bains thwarted another threat with a timely clearance from just in front of the left post. That led to a corner kick at the other end.
With 8:23 remaining, Tyler Villanueva earned an assist as Drew Olsen rose up for an eight-yard header. From then on East’s thinking was the scoreboard clock was occasionally stuck while North saw it as moving too rapidly.
Having elevated Bartlett’s boys and girls programs at his alma mater, DiNuzzo is in his first year at East and understood the intensity of the crosstown clash which featured the hallmark intensity even without the star power from 2016.
Willis was the only 2016 Chicagoland Soccer All-State pick in the game. Graduated honorees included North’s Ryan Olson and Johnathan Acevedo plus East’s Jack Kempf and Chris Edgerton. The special mention picks who also completed their careers last season included Dylan Mientus for the North Stars plus Mitch Lucatorto, Steve Owens, and Justin Stepien for the Saints.
St. Charles North was left to pick up the pieces after the devastating loss.
“We had our chances but at the end of the day, they outworked us,” North coach Eric Willson said. “We’ve always looked at the season as helping prepare you to make a postseason run. Right now we have to get ready for a tough match (Thursday) with Geneva. What you do in responding to a loss is what really defines you.”
Despite the evident disappointment, a large measure of the North Star players’ class was demonstrated while answering post-match questions.
“You take a lesson from every game and today’s was that we’re not just a team that can come out and steamroll anyone,” Willis said. “Opponents aren’t thinking ‘We’re playing North so we’ll lose.’ We must play with the same intensity we showed in beating Waukegan.”
“We must do more for each other,” Elegbede said, his voice faltering with emotion. “We need to do more for each other. Our defense has saved us so many times, perhaps on offense we were a little too confident.”
“It’s never an instance where we place anyone below us,” senior tri-captain Connor Bettini added. “We take it game by game, so it all starts with practice tomorrow. Get better and get ready for the next opponent.”
The North Stars came into the match averaging 2.15 goals per game, nearly the same that East allowed (2.42). But once again what’s on paper is less significant in a rivalry. While North was yielded less than a goal (0.85) per outing, the Saints’ three goals equaled the tally from the only other setback, a 3-2 loss to Jacobs on Aug. 29.
The remaining schedule for North has home dates with Geneva and Batavia sandwiching a third UEC River match at Larkin.
East spends this weekend in Burlington, Iowa, at the Goal 4 The Goal Fall Classic facing Dunbar from Lexington, Ky., on Friday. Saturday morning starts with a match against either Middleton, Wis., or downstate Normal West with a placing match later that afternoon. Then comes UEC River meetings with Streamwood and Geneva.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Zach Kennedy
D Gray Biddle
D Geoff Unterberg
D Riley Arnold
D Drew Olsen
M Rajin Bains
M Luke Schnitker
M Kieran Patel
F George Maridis
F Brendan Adams
F Truitt Battin
St. Charles North
GK Piercarlo Ricossa
D Joey Sommer
D Peter Willis
D Connor Bettini
D Kyle Kolodziej
M Matt Beaulieu
M Jameson D’Amico
M Joshua Amaro
M Parker Kolb
F Jake Persenico
F Bernard Elegbede
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Truitt Battin, jr., MF, St. Charles East
Officials: Dylan Kramer (center), David Kintz, Gary Kardell
Game summary
St. Charles East 3, St. Charles North 0
St. Charles East 1 2 ---- 3 3-6-4 (UEC-R: 1-2-1)
St. Charles North 0 0 ---- 0 9-2-3 (UEC-R: 1-1-1)
Scoring
SCE – Battin 17-yard blast slotted inside right post (Maridis assist), 15:35 gone
SCE – Maridis 13-yard chip over keeper and bounce home (Arnold assist), 44:23 gone
SCE – Olson leaping eight-yard header off corner kick (Villanueva assist), 71:37 gone
Shots
SCE 6 - 14 -- 20
SCN 4 - 7 -- 11
Shots on goal
SCE 3 - 7 -- 10
SCN 1 - 4 -- 5
Saves (player)
SCE 5 (Kennedy 1/4)
SCN 7 (Ricossa 2/4 -- defender 1)
Corner kicks
SCE 1 - 3 -- 4
SCN 4 - 1 -- 5
Offsides
SCE 0 - 1 -- 1
SCN 1 - 1 -- 2
in battle of St. Charles
Saints shock no. 4 North Stars with 3-0 road win
By Steve Nemeth
ST. CHARLES --- On paper it was a ill-matched matchup.
On the pitch, it became the latest, and possibly most unlikely, new chapter in this heated crosstown rivalry.
In the Battle of St. Charles, North High School was fresh off a shootout triumph over no. 5-rated Waukegan to capture one of the four PepsiCo Showdown bracket championships.
As a result, the North Stars achieved their highest standing, fourth, in this week’s Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. In addition, the hosts for Tuesday night’s meeting entered on a nine-game (6-0-3) unbeaten streak since Aug. 29.
By contrast, East entered having gone five-straight games without a victory (0-3-2). Rated 17th in the Chicagoland Soccer preseason rankings, it took two weeks for the Saints to disappear from the poll and ultimately drop into a tie for the cellar of the Upstate Eight Conference’s River Division.
However, the nature of “the throw the records out the window” rivalry was evident after the final horn.
St. Charles East Athletic Director Mike Sommerfeld pulled out his smart phone and in the seconds it took to activate the photo feature, the final 3-0 Saints victory was already wiped off the scoreboard before the image could be captured.
But on the field, the disappointment of the North Stars players remained a stark contrast to the euphoria shown by East's players, fans and parents.
North’s records dipped to 9-2-3 overall and 1-1-1 in league play. East improved to 3-6-4 and 1-2-1.
The stunning three-goal Saints victory renews hopes for others after a UEC River title. Last year, the North Stars (4-1-1, 13 points) edged East (4-2-0, 12 points). In 2015, the two shared the crown with identical records of 5-1-0 and 15 points.
Though it required scoring within the last six minutes for North to claim one-goal wins over East the last two years (3-2 in 2016 and 2-1 in 2015), the start appeared promising for the host team.
Fifty seconds in, 2016 Chicagoland Soccer All-State pick Peter Willis had a header from a corner kick sail too high. A minute later, team scoring leader Jake Persenico enjoyed a right-side fastbreak but his shot went wide left. Bernard Elegbede, who had the first and last strikes in last year’s triumph, also missed just wide.
Six minutes in, the momentum swung in East’s favor. George Maridis set up Truitt Battin on the right for a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar. A minute later, a Battin direct kick from the left wing was caught by North goalie Piercarlo Ricossa, who owns four of the North Stars’ five clean sheets.
But then at 16:35, Maridis again fed the ball to Battin on the far right. The East junior cut back on one defender and headed toward the middle before suddenly cranking a left-footed blast for his team-high seventh goal of the year. Perhaps momentarily screened, the shot eluded Ricossa’s dive to his left and stayed inside the right post.
“Going into this meeting and having played club soccer with so many of their players, they knew some of my moves. But I saw an opening and slotted a left-footer,” Battin explained. “It was important in helping get us get momentum and create a winning mindset for us.”
“He’s money,” Maridis said in regard to setting up Battin. “We’ve got chemistry having played together (at East and in club ball), so I trust him to finish.”
Long before it turned into the game-winner, that goal, several near-goals, and countless big plays and quality touches made Battin Chicagoland Soccer’s Man of the Match.
“No question in my mind that he was the most dangerous player on the field at all times,” East coach Vince DiNuzzo stated in endorsing the selection. “Right off the bat, he misses by a hair, 10 minutes later he gets the same type of opportunity and it becomes the first goal. That was a real change-point for us. It was instrumental in lifting the team’s confidence and determination.”
DiNuzzo both hopes and believes the timing of the win couldn’t have come at a better time. While North was St. Charles East's highest-ranked foe, it was also its seventh opponent listed in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Consider four one-goal losses and three draws, and the relief is obvious.
“We needed this one. We’ve been so close. Even one goal the other way earlier could have changed so many of our losses,” DiNuzzo lamented. “I know we’re capable of playing with anyone, but this showing right before seeding backs up what I believe. There’s no denying our kids came to play and did so for a full 80 minutes. That was the difference, right to the end. We weren’t going to give up.”
Beyond North’s 0-0 deadlock with no. 17 Streamwood, no one had kept the North Stars off the scoreboard.
North threatened to equalize at 24:41, but Saints keeper Zach Kennedy managed to keep the ball from completely crossing the goal line while absorbing a collision that dislodged the entire goal. Minutes later, he timed a jump perfectly to punch away a pass to Elegbede.
Only 1:47 prior to halftime, a 41-yard missile from St. Charles East's Gray Biddle left the crossbar vibrating.
“We talked about the first 10 minutes, what to expect when play settled in, the push needed right before and after halftime,” DiNuzzo said. “We talked about what they would be saying in their huddle and how to respond to it.”
Less than two minutes after the restart, Battin had a 36-yard direct kick sail above the crossbar as a follow-up to Biddle’s pre-halftime near goal. Saints tri-captain Riley Arnold cut off a pass at midfield and sent a potential through-ball bouncing toward the box. Maridis got the touch needed to chip it over Ricossa’s outward rush. The nearest North Stars defender couldn’t recover for a clearance before the ball was crossed the line.
“An opportunity like that happens so quickly you don’t get to think too much,” Maridis said. “It was basically a three-yard sprint to the ball and get your foot to it with the right touch. It’s probably my first goal off a chip shot.”
Five minutes later, Battin bulled the ball forward in a collision with a defender and Ricossa again raced forward. This time the North Stars were able to clear the ball before it could enter the goal.
There was 27:49 left in regulation when Jameson D’Amico lashed a free kick off the Saints’ defensive wall and the ensuing carom was put back on frame. That’s when Kennedy made a highlight-reel worthy save at the peak of his jump and fisted the ball over the crossbar. That corner kick led to a North header that was too high.
So did Kennedy have any doubt about being able to make the save that kept it from becoming a nail-biting 2-1 margin?
“You simply have to believe you’ll make that save,” Kennedy said. “Especially in a rivalry game, the pressure is nonstop. When we were up 1-0, I just wanted to finish the half one up. When we led 2-0, my thinking was never let your guard down. Then at 3-0, don’t give them a reason to hope.”
Obviously the rivalry aspect and the victory made the shutout that much more significant for Kennedy, whose other clean sheet came in a 0-0 draw versus Niles West in New Trier’s Northside College Showcase.
With the North Stars attempting to ramp up their attack, East found a counter opportunity. Biddle fed the ball to Battin who sent it back for a Biddle boomer that Ricossa batted wide. There was 16:39 still to play when Elegbede hit a cannon shot from 19 yards out that Kennedy secured.
The Saints’ Biddle put yet another long-distance free kick off the crossbar. North rushed back on attack, but East’s Rajin Bains thwarted another threat with a timely clearance from just in front of the left post. That led to a corner kick at the other end.
With 8:23 remaining, Tyler Villanueva earned an assist as Drew Olsen rose up for an eight-yard header. From then on East’s thinking was the scoreboard clock was occasionally stuck while North saw it as moving too rapidly.
Having elevated Bartlett’s boys and girls programs at his alma mater, DiNuzzo is in his first year at East and understood the intensity of the crosstown clash which featured the hallmark intensity even without the star power from 2016.
Willis was the only 2016 Chicagoland Soccer All-State pick in the game. Graduated honorees included North’s Ryan Olson and Johnathan Acevedo plus East’s Jack Kempf and Chris Edgerton. The special mention picks who also completed their careers last season included Dylan Mientus for the North Stars plus Mitch Lucatorto, Steve Owens, and Justin Stepien for the Saints.
St. Charles North was left to pick up the pieces after the devastating loss.
“We had our chances but at the end of the day, they outworked us,” North coach Eric Willson said. “We’ve always looked at the season as helping prepare you to make a postseason run. Right now we have to get ready for a tough match (Thursday) with Geneva. What you do in responding to a loss is what really defines you.”
Despite the evident disappointment, a large measure of the North Star players’ class was demonstrated while answering post-match questions.
“You take a lesson from every game and today’s was that we’re not just a team that can come out and steamroll anyone,” Willis said. “Opponents aren’t thinking ‘We’re playing North so we’ll lose.’ We must play with the same intensity we showed in beating Waukegan.”
“We must do more for each other,” Elegbede said, his voice faltering with emotion. “We need to do more for each other. Our defense has saved us so many times, perhaps on offense we were a little too confident.”
“It’s never an instance where we place anyone below us,” senior tri-captain Connor Bettini added. “We take it game by game, so it all starts with practice tomorrow. Get better and get ready for the next opponent.”
The North Stars came into the match averaging 2.15 goals per game, nearly the same that East allowed (2.42). But once again what’s on paper is less significant in a rivalry. While North was yielded less than a goal (0.85) per outing, the Saints’ three goals equaled the tally from the only other setback, a 3-2 loss to Jacobs on Aug. 29.
The remaining schedule for North has home dates with Geneva and Batavia sandwiching a third UEC River match at Larkin.
East spends this weekend in Burlington, Iowa, at the Goal 4 The Goal Fall Classic facing Dunbar from Lexington, Ky., on Friday. Saturday morning starts with a match against either Middleton, Wis., or downstate Normal West with a placing match later that afternoon. Then comes UEC River meetings with Streamwood and Geneva.
Starting lineups
St. Charles East
GK Zach Kennedy
D Gray Biddle
D Geoff Unterberg
D Riley Arnold
D Drew Olsen
M Rajin Bains
M Luke Schnitker
M Kieran Patel
F George Maridis
F Brendan Adams
F Truitt Battin
St. Charles North
GK Piercarlo Ricossa
D Joey Sommer
D Peter Willis
D Connor Bettini
D Kyle Kolodziej
M Matt Beaulieu
M Jameson D’Amico
M Joshua Amaro
M Parker Kolb
F Jake Persenico
F Bernard Elegbede
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Truitt Battin, jr., MF, St. Charles East
Officials: Dylan Kramer (center), David Kintz, Gary Kardell
Game summary
St. Charles East 3, St. Charles North 0
St. Charles East 1 2 ---- 3 3-6-4 (UEC-R: 1-2-1)
St. Charles North 0 0 ---- 0 9-2-3 (UEC-R: 1-1-1)
Scoring
SCE – Battin 17-yard blast slotted inside right post (Maridis assist), 15:35 gone
SCE – Maridis 13-yard chip over keeper and bounce home (Arnold assist), 44:23 gone
SCE – Olson leaping eight-yard header off corner kick (Villanueva assist), 71:37 gone
Shots
SCE 6 - 14 -- 20
SCN 4 - 7 -- 11
Shots on goal
SCE 3 - 7 -- 10
SCN 1 - 4 -- 5
Saves (player)
SCE 5 (Kennedy 1/4)
SCN 7 (Ricossa 2/4 -- defender 1)
Corner kicks
SCE 1 - 3 -- 4
SCN 4 - 1 -- 5
Offsides
SCE 0 - 1 -- 1
SCN 1 - 1 -- 2