Batavia tops SCN in unforgettable Sr. Night
Bulldogs upset North Stars 2-0 in DuKane action
By Chris Walker
BATAVIA -- Gunnar Knox knows what it takes to be a good teammate. It helps that his teammates are also some of his best friends.
Knox and 15 of his fellow seniors were recognized during Senior Night on Tuesday at Batavia and the Bulldogs made the most of the special occasion, arguably playing one of their best games of the season and certainly getting a result that has been difficult to attain regularly this fall.
Batavia struck early and was greedy on the other end as the Bulldogs shut out St. Charles North 2-0 in a DuKane Conference game under the lights, which illuminated a solid showing in the stands of classmates and faculty as well as family and friends.
“This is an inseparable squad,” Knox said. “We’ve been playing together since we were so young so the team has great chemistry. We’re just so happy together. We all hang out as a team. It’s a great group.”
Knox delivered the first goal of the night for the Bulldogs with 33:54 still remaining in the first half. He wouldn’t realize it at the time, but it was all the offense the Bulldogs would need.
“Getting that one right off the bat really increased our energy,” he said. “We were just hyped up and ready to go and then getting that goal really energized us throughout the game.”
Knox’s goal came via a corner kick from Adler Palos.
“I was just there and ready for the goalie to bobble it and just poked it through,” Knox said. “You just have to always be ready. It’s just the one split second you have, and if you’re not there, you’re not there. But when you are, that’s what makes it so good.”
St. Charles North (10-5-1, 2-3-1) has the talent to bounce back from early deficits. But this sluggish start proved too much to overcome for the North Stars, who are ranked at no. 22 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“I think what was pretty frustrating was the talk before the game was how we were going to start in the first 10 minutes of that game and what kind of energy we wanted to come out with and the type of execution of our game we wanted to come out with,” North Stars coach Eric Willson said. “And it all kind of went backwards within that first 10 minutes.
“It’s certainly a credit to them with how hard they played, how hard they fought. But you know, I don’t necessarily think they scored great goals on us tonight.”
Batavia (3-8-4, 2-2-2) breathed a sigh of relief with 25:45 left in the opening half when what appeared to be a goal for the North Stars was waved off by an offsides call.
With 9:33 to go in the first half, the Bulldogs celebrated again as Palos, who was recognized as the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Drew Lillig.
“They’re one of the harder teams we’ve played so to come out that strong was amazing,” Palos said. “I think the home stage, being Senior Night and everyone just wanting to really win was big. I’m glad we were all on the same page.”
The Bulldogs enjoyed their 2-0 lead at halftime while the Batavia varsity dance team provided entertainment during the intermission, a special bonus as part of the Senior Night festivities.
“It was a great night and cool to get this win,” Batavia senior Carter Craney said. “We’ll always remember this. It’s a good win. I think our determination really got us the win. We played the full 80 minutes.”
For Craney, it’s hard to believe it’s his senior year and that the end is near.
“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “With only one high school (in Batavia) most of us have grown up together, played on the same travel teams and gone all through high school together so it’s good to see us all on the same team at the end and working together tonight to get the win.”
The Bulldogs lost a tough 1-0 game to Lemont on Monday in the Warstang Invitational but were able to bounce back. The Senior Night win snapped a three-game losing streak.
“This was good for them, and hats off to them because they came out motivated and ready to go,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “Everyone was busting it out there, and I’m glad they got the win because these guys are all friends. They hang out together, and the chemistry is there.”
It wasn’t a regional title championship, but there was a feeling that the game was bigger than simply a regular season conference game.
“You wouldn’t know it, but you’d think we won the state title today with the way they were acting,” Gianfrancesco said. “And that was just our third win. They were able to dismiss yesterday (1-0 loss to Lemont) and the rest of the season and come out and win which was good to see.
“It was a good game. We have four games this week so this was the second of the week, a good result and we’ll see what happens next against Waubonsie Valley.”
St. Charles North (10-5-1, 2-3-1) played with purpose but couldn't find the back of the net.
“I don’t think the result is from a lack of effort,” Willson said. “I know the guys were trying. I think we struggled to connect passes at times. So some of it was just execution which isn’t great at this point of the season. But it’s one of those things where it’s a conference game on the road, and you’ve got to be focused at all times, and you’ve got to execute.”
Games against Tri-Cities rivals are always held in high regard. While the North vs. East and Batavia vs. Geneva matchups get top billing, the other regular conference clashes are just as big and are usually as difficult to win.
“There comes a point in time where you’ve got to understand you’re dealing with some young kids too, and they’ve got to learn exactly how important it is to perform on the road in conference,” Willson said. “And with the quality of soccer we have around this community, you’ve got to be at your best at all times. We weren’t tonight.”
Slow starts are one of the problems that have hurt the North Stars this season.
“The first half was not good, because we started so slow,” St. Charles North senior Joey Sommer said. “We can’t start that slow. We played good for the rest of the game, and if we can come out faster and get one right away then it’s a totally different game.”
At this point in the season, Sommer doesn’t want to blame inconsistent play on changes from last year to now, but said there’s been a lingering effect.
“Our lineup has been changing a lot so we still need to figure things out and click,” he said. “We lost so many seniors from last year, and I know this late in the season we should have things set already, but it’s taken longer than expected. We’re still figuring some things out.”
How to finish was a problem for the North Stars in this one.
“It’s very disappointing to lose this game, because we had so many chances,” Sommer said. “We just couldn’t put one away.”
The North Stars did threaten the Bulldogs at times but didn’t have any luck. Just ask Logan Michels. He watched what appeared to be a goal hit the post midway through the second half. What would’ve sliced a two-goal deficit in half, simply was corralled and sent the other way with no damage done.
“They hit the post and missed a couple other ones so it could’ve been 2-2 or 3-2 or whatever,” Gianfrancesco said. “They definitely had some chances that they didn’t finish which was good for us. We probably needed the win more than they did, I think.”
But can the Bulldogs keep it up?
“I think we can if we come together like this,” Palos said. “If one player is screwing around or not trying their hardest then the whole team is done. The whole teamwork and collaborating is what we need. We know we have the skill to compete against big teams. It’s about being mentally ready.”
Perhaps it’s just taken some time for Batavia to click?
“At the beginning of the season with only six returners we had a hard time becoming cohesive as a unit,” Palos said. “Now we’ve come together as a team and know how to play together better. We all want to win. It’s our last season and some of us have been working on this since we were five years old.”
How far the Bulldogs can go is all up to the seniors.
“We’ve had a tough season, but we’ve played in a lot of close games,” Craney said. “We’ve had good competition. We’ve played St. Charles East and West Aurora and held them 0-0 until the very end and then they got a goal, and it was the end for us. I don’t think we deserve to be where we’re at, but once the playoffs come that’s when it really matters.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
GK: Bobby Curran
D: John Kirby
D: Johnny Mincieli
D: Joey Sommer
MF: Gabriel D’Amico
MF: Jared Sinnaeve
MF: Thomas Weber
F: Matt Beaulieu
F: Vito Lagioia
F: Logan Michels
F: Faizan Mohiuddin
Batavia
GK: Jacob Mefford
D: Joe Grendzinski
D: Kipp Knecht
D: Jason Nichols
MF: Max Hardin
MF: Adler Palos
MF: Ian Wood
F: Carter Craney
F: Miguel Garcia
F: Gunner Knox
F: Drew Lillig
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Adler Palos, Batavia, sr., MF
Scoring Summary
First Half
Batavia – Gunner Knox (Adler Palos), 33:54
Batavia – Adler Palos (Drew Lillig), 21:22
Second Half
None
Bulldogs upset North Stars 2-0 in DuKane action
By Chris Walker
BATAVIA -- Gunnar Knox knows what it takes to be a good teammate. It helps that his teammates are also some of his best friends.
Knox and 15 of his fellow seniors were recognized during Senior Night on Tuesday at Batavia and the Bulldogs made the most of the special occasion, arguably playing one of their best games of the season and certainly getting a result that has been difficult to attain regularly this fall.
Batavia struck early and was greedy on the other end as the Bulldogs shut out St. Charles North 2-0 in a DuKane Conference game under the lights, which illuminated a solid showing in the stands of classmates and faculty as well as family and friends.
“This is an inseparable squad,” Knox said. “We’ve been playing together since we were so young so the team has great chemistry. We’re just so happy together. We all hang out as a team. It’s a great group.”
Knox delivered the first goal of the night for the Bulldogs with 33:54 still remaining in the first half. He wouldn’t realize it at the time, but it was all the offense the Bulldogs would need.
“Getting that one right off the bat really increased our energy,” he said. “We were just hyped up and ready to go and then getting that goal really energized us throughout the game.”
Knox’s goal came via a corner kick from Adler Palos.
“I was just there and ready for the goalie to bobble it and just poked it through,” Knox said. “You just have to always be ready. It’s just the one split second you have, and if you’re not there, you’re not there. But when you are, that’s what makes it so good.”
St. Charles North (10-5-1, 2-3-1) has the talent to bounce back from early deficits. But this sluggish start proved too much to overcome for the North Stars, who are ranked at no. 22 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
“I think what was pretty frustrating was the talk before the game was how we were going to start in the first 10 minutes of that game and what kind of energy we wanted to come out with and the type of execution of our game we wanted to come out with,” North Stars coach Eric Willson said. “And it all kind of went backwards within that first 10 minutes.
“It’s certainly a credit to them with how hard they played, how hard they fought. But you know, I don’t necessarily think they scored great goals on us tonight.”
Batavia (3-8-4, 2-2-2) breathed a sigh of relief with 25:45 left in the opening half when what appeared to be a goal for the North Stars was waved off by an offsides call.
With 9:33 to go in the first half, the Bulldogs celebrated again as Palos, who was recognized as the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, extended their lead to 2-0 with a goal from Drew Lillig.
“They’re one of the harder teams we’ve played so to come out that strong was amazing,” Palos said. “I think the home stage, being Senior Night and everyone just wanting to really win was big. I’m glad we were all on the same page.”
The Bulldogs enjoyed their 2-0 lead at halftime while the Batavia varsity dance team provided entertainment during the intermission, a special bonus as part of the Senior Night festivities.
“It was a great night and cool to get this win,” Batavia senior Carter Craney said. “We’ll always remember this. It’s a good win. I think our determination really got us the win. We played the full 80 minutes.”
For Craney, it’s hard to believe it’s his senior year and that the end is near.
“It’s been a long journey,” he said. “With only one high school (in Batavia) most of us have grown up together, played on the same travel teams and gone all through high school together so it’s good to see us all on the same team at the end and working together tonight to get the win.”
The Bulldogs lost a tough 1-0 game to Lemont on Monday in the Warstang Invitational but were able to bounce back. The Senior Night win snapped a three-game losing streak.
“This was good for them, and hats off to them because they came out motivated and ready to go,” Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “Everyone was busting it out there, and I’m glad they got the win because these guys are all friends. They hang out together, and the chemistry is there.”
It wasn’t a regional title championship, but there was a feeling that the game was bigger than simply a regular season conference game.
“You wouldn’t know it, but you’d think we won the state title today with the way they were acting,” Gianfrancesco said. “And that was just our third win. They were able to dismiss yesterday (1-0 loss to Lemont) and the rest of the season and come out and win which was good to see.
“It was a good game. We have four games this week so this was the second of the week, a good result and we’ll see what happens next against Waubonsie Valley.”
St. Charles North (10-5-1, 2-3-1) played with purpose but couldn't find the back of the net.
“I don’t think the result is from a lack of effort,” Willson said. “I know the guys were trying. I think we struggled to connect passes at times. So some of it was just execution which isn’t great at this point of the season. But it’s one of those things where it’s a conference game on the road, and you’ve got to be focused at all times, and you’ve got to execute.”
Games against Tri-Cities rivals are always held in high regard. While the North vs. East and Batavia vs. Geneva matchups get top billing, the other regular conference clashes are just as big and are usually as difficult to win.
“There comes a point in time where you’ve got to understand you’re dealing with some young kids too, and they’ve got to learn exactly how important it is to perform on the road in conference,” Willson said. “And with the quality of soccer we have around this community, you’ve got to be at your best at all times. We weren’t tonight.”
Slow starts are one of the problems that have hurt the North Stars this season.
“The first half was not good, because we started so slow,” St. Charles North senior Joey Sommer said. “We can’t start that slow. We played good for the rest of the game, and if we can come out faster and get one right away then it’s a totally different game.”
At this point in the season, Sommer doesn’t want to blame inconsistent play on changes from last year to now, but said there’s been a lingering effect.
“Our lineup has been changing a lot so we still need to figure things out and click,” he said. “We lost so many seniors from last year, and I know this late in the season we should have things set already, but it’s taken longer than expected. We’re still figuring some things out.”
How to finish was a problem for the North Stars in this one.
“It’s very disappointing to lose this game, because we had so many chances,” Sommer said. “We just couldn’t put one away.”
The North Stars did threaten the Bulldogs at times but didn’t have any luck. Just ask Logan Michels. He watched what appeared to be a goal hit the post midway through the second half. What would’ve sliced a two-goal deficit in half, simply was corralled and sent the other way with no damage done.
“They hit the post and missed a couple other ones so it could’ve been 2-2 or 3-2 or whatever,” Gianfrancesco said. “They definitely had some chances that they didn’t finish which was good for us. We probably needed the win more than they did, I think.”
But can the Bulldogs keep it up?
“I think we can if we come together like this,” Palos said. “If one player is screwing around or not trying their hardest then the whole team is done. The whole teamwork and collaborating is what we need. We know we have the skill to compete against big teams. It’s about being mentally ready.”
Perhaps it’s just taken some time for Batavia to click?
“At the beginning of the season with only six returners we had a hard time becoming cohesive as a unit,” Palos said. “Now we’ve come together as a team and know how to play together better. We all want to win. It’s our last season and some of us have been working on this since we were five years old.”
How far the Bulldogs can go is all up to the seniors.
“We’ve had a tough season, but we’ve played in a lot of close games,” Craney said. “We’ve had good competition. We’ve played St. Charles East and West Aurora and held them 0-0 until the very end and then they got a goal, and it was the end for us. I don’t think we deserve to be where we’re at, but once the playoffs come that’s when it really matters.”
Starting lineups
St. Charles North
GK: Bobby Curran
D: John Kirby
D: Johnny Mincieli
D: Joey Sommer
MF: Gabriel D’Amico
MF: Jared Sinnaeve
MF: Thomas Weber
F: Matt Beaulieu
F: Vito Lagioia
F: Logan Michels
F: Faizan Mohiuddin
Batavia
GK: Jacob Mefford
D: Joe Grendzinski
D: Kipp Knecht
D: Jason Nichols
MF: Max Hardin
MF: Adler Palos
MF: Ian Wood
F: Carter Craney
F: Miguel Garcia
F: Gunner Knox
F: Drew Lillig
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Adler Palos, Batavia, sr., MF
Scoring Summary
First Half
Batavia – Gunner Knox (Adler Palos), 33:54
Batavia – Adler Palos (Drew Lillig), 21:22
Second Half
None