Batavia, St. Charles North return from successful travels for big U8 match
Bulldogs must best North to stay in River race
By Derek Wolff
Fresh off a championship victory in the Tournament of Champions in Iowa last weekend, St. Charles North returns to its normal stomping grounds to begin its final slate of conference games.
The North Stars, ranked seventh in the latest Chicagoland Soccer poll, will have their hands full with no. 14 Batavia in a key Upstate Eight River battle at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the first game of Tri-Cities Night at Geneva High School.
Batavia (12-2-3, 5-1-0 UEC) enters the game off a third place finish and 2-1-0 record in the Tournament of Champions.
With regional playoff matches starting in a few weeks, St. Charles North earned the no. 3 seed and Batavia the no. 5 in the Schaumburg Sectional.
Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said that at this point in the season, every game feels like a playoff opportunity and that’s the kind of atmosphere his side will expect on Tuesday night.
“I think we started the playoff thing in the tournament this past weekend,” Gianfrancesco said. We knew we would be playing some top teams and wanted to come prepared and play well for the entire game. I think we accomplished that for five out of the six halves, which I think is pretty good.”
Batavia's final game of the week comes against Wheaton Warrenville South on Saturday. The match-up will pit senior midfielder Olivia Callipari against her father, Guy, head coach of the Tigers.
“We also know that the next two opponents would also be of quality so we do plan to continue improving our level of play prior to the playoffs,” Gianfrancesco said. “The focus is that it is all coming to and end - with nine seniors they have that sense of urgency about every game, half, and opportunity to get a positive result.”
The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 26-7 in their last seven games, and will need to maintain their scoring touch against a solid St. Charles North defense.
Staying in the game mentally and being confident will be keys to any success his side has, Gianfrancesco said.
“We want to compete with St. Charles North for the entire game,” Gianfrancesco said. “I think that will be important to have an opportunity to get a positive result. With that being said, we need to be confident in our play, communicate well, match their physical style, and move the ball quickly. These are things we have been preaching all year, so it is nothing new to our girls.
"It should be a great night with all four varsity teams, which all have quality players and coaches, at one site for the area to watch.”
St. Charles North (12-2-1, 4-0-0 UEC) comes into play Tuesday as winners of seven in a row. Head coach Ruth Vostal said she was excited to continue to climb.
“We are pleased with the growth and success of our team at this point in the season," she said. "We definitely have some continued work to do but have time before the playoffs. We have not reached our peak, and I am excited about that. Each game is an opportunity to coach an amazing bunch of girls. We look forward to (Tuesday’s) game against a strong Batavia team.”
The North Stars will end conference play in a flurry this week. They meet Streamwood on Thursday before a pivotal match with rival St. Charles East on Saturday.
“We take each game one at a time,” Vostal said. “It's a big week with three conference games but our tough schedule has been like this all season. We look forward to the challenge.”
Bulldogs must best North to stay in River race
By Derek Wolff
Fresh off a championship victory in the Tournament of Champions in Iowa last weekend, St. Charles North returns to its normal stomping grounds to begin its final slate of conference games.
The North Stars, ranked seventh in the latest Chicagoland Soccer poll, will have their hands full with no. 14 Batavia in a key Upstate Eight River battle at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the first game of Tri-Cities Night at Geneva High School.
Batavia (12-2-3, 5-1-0 UEC) enters the game off a third place finish and 2-1-0 record in the Tournament of Champions.
With regional playoff matches starting in a few weeks, St. Charles North earned the no. 3 seed and Batavia the no. 5 in the Schaumburg Sectional.
Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said that at this point in the season, every game feels like a playoff opportunity and that’s the kind of atmosphere his side will expect on Tuesday night.
“I think we started the playoff thing in the tournament this past weekend,” Gianfrancesco said. We knew we would be playing some top teams and wanted to come prepared and play well for the entire game. I think we accomplished that for five out of the six halves, which I think is pretty good.”
Batavia's final game of the week comes against Wheaton Warrenville South on Saturday. The match-up will pit senior midfielder Olivia Callipari against her father, Guy, head coach of the Tigers.
“We also know that the next two opponents would also be of quality so we do plan to continue improving our level of play prior to the playoffs,” Gianfrancesco said. “The focus is that it is all coming to and end - with nine seniors they have that sense of urgency about every game, half, and opportunity to get a positive result.”
The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 26-7 in their last seven games, and will need to maintain their scoring touch against a solid St. Charles North defense.
Staying in the game mentally and being confident will be keys to any success his side has, Gianfrancesco said.
“We want to compete with St. Charles North for the entire game,” Gianfrancesco said. “I think that will be important to have an opportunity to get a positive result. With that being said, we need to be confident in our play, communicate well, match their physical style, and move the ball quickly. These are things we have been preaching all year, so it is nothing new to our girls.
"It should be a great night with all four varsity teams, which all have quality players and coaches, at one site for the area to watch.”
St. Charles North (12-2-1, 4-0-0 UEC) comes into play Tuesday as winners of seven in a row. Head coach Ruth Vostal said she was excited to continue to climb.
“We are pleased with the growth and success of our team at this point in the season," she said. "We definitely have some continued work to do but have time before the playoffs. We have not reached our peak, and I am excited about that. Each game is an opportunity to coach an amazing bunch of girls. We look forward to (Tuesday’s) game against a strong Batavia team.”
The North Stars will end conference play in a flurry this week. They meet Streamwood on Thursday before a pivotal match with rival St. Charles East on Saturday.
“We take each game one at a time,” Vostal said. “It's a big week with three conference games but our tough schedule has been like this all season. We look forward to the challenge.”