Batavia clinches UEC River title

Batavia didn't beat St. Charles North during Tuesday's Upstate Eight Conference game in St. Charles.

That didn't mean that the Bulldogs didn't leave as winners though.

They wrapped up a conference title while senior standout Ian Larson had his arms wrapped around the Fox Traveling Trophy - awarded to the top Tri-Cities team every year - something the Bulldogs earned despite having to settle for a hard-earned 1-1 tie against the North Stars.

Batavia (13-1-3, 6-0-1) also beat Geneva and St. Charles East earlier this year to win the trophy.

"It feels great to come out of here and win conference," Larson said. "What we've been able to achieve so far this season says a lot about our team and how if we set our minds to something we can achieve it."

St. Charles North (8-5-4, 3-1-2) bounced back after a 5-1 loss to St. Charles East on Saturday, getting a penalty kick from Nicholas Graham with 27:52 left in the second half to take a 1-0 lead.

"We just wanted to forget about Saturday and work for each other and get a better result," Graham said. "I think we really wanted this one and unfortunately we couldn't hold on and get it."

Batavia was able to extend its unbeaten streak to 13 games because Larson struck again like he so often has this fall. He netted his 18th goal of the year just 1:02 after Graham gave the North Stars a very brief advantage.

"They were very physical and like to play more direct," Larson said. "One thing we didn't expect was for them to come out with more intensity. They wanted it more than us and by halftime we had regrouped and matched their intensity."

The North Stars cleaned up the mental mistakes that made for an ugly afternoon on Saturday and were able to gain a great deal of confidence going toe-to-toe with the highly regarded Bulldogs.

"If we can feed off that 80 minutes of consistent energy and do that on a regular basis, I think we can play with anybody," North Stars coach Eric Willson said. "We have to be consistent and if we do that, I think we can cause some havoc on some teams."

The Bulldogs had every reason to be tired after a 1-1 tie against Wheaton Academy on Saturday and a 4-0 win against Waubonsie Valley on Monday, but they've persevered and escaped without their second loss.

"We've had a tough stretch with a lot of games against tough opponents," Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. "It was good to see the guys muster up and keep going."

This special annual Tri-Cities night not only brought out the four area teams for two competitive games of soccer, but it also served as a fundraiser for Drew Hahn, the 13-year-old son of Geneva baseball coach Matt Hahn who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

An unofficial total of just under $2,000 raised for the Hahn family.