Boys soccer: St. Charles North christens new field with win
The long wait is over.
After playing on a less-than-desirable and often times ripped up grass field for the last 17 years, St. Charles North's boys soccer team christened its shiny $1.2 million artificial turf field Saturday afternoon against Kaneland.
It took a little while for the North Stars (2-0) to get their offense going but they bounced back from a lackluster first half with a 4-goal second-half barrage during a 5-1 nonconference victory over the Knights (0-1-1) in St. Charles.
"I don't know if it was a noon game or that we're not used to playing or what but we certainly weren't sharp offensively (in the first half)," said North Stars coach Eric Willson. "I think we were trying to force it a little too much."
The teams traded first-half goals as sophomore Gabe D'Amico was credited with the North Stars' first goal after his shot caromed off a Kaneland defender and redirected into the net in the 29th minute.
Kaneland answered 2 ½ minutes later when senior midfielder Brian Bartholomew converted on a free kick from 20 yards out, tying the score 1-1 at the half.
"I thought we played OK in the first half," said Knights coach Scott Parillo. "We had some opportunities and we capitalized on one of them."
Things changed dramatically in the second half as the North Stars seized their first lead of the game on a blast by senior forward Jake Persenico off a nifty slip pass from Bernard Elegbede in the first 7 minutes.
About 4 minutes later, Persenico returned the favor and set up Elegbede for the North Stars' third goal.
After Persenico displayed his ball control with a spin fake and point-blank blast for his second goal of the game to make it 4-1, Elegbede capped the scoring 2 minutes later with his second goal off a long-ball pass from junior Logan Michels.
"Once we settled down and made a strong effort to have some combination play and get the ball out wide, I thought we were a little better team," said Willson. "It doesn't hurt when you've got two guys (Persenico and Elegbede) who can finish like that."
Michels, a move-in from South Elgin, has helped provide depth up front for the North Stars, who graduated much of their offense from last season.
"Logan has been really helpful," said Willson. "He has given us a good spark off the bench.
"We basically graduated the front six but we're pretty deep in that area with wingers and forwards that cannot only start a game but can come in off the bench and contribute."
Defensively, the Knights struggled in the second half, including the stretch where they allowed 3 goals in 5 minutes.
"We just had a couple of mental breakdowns," said Parillo. "They happened quickly and good teams will take advantage of that and they did. That's what happens when you face a big school. Now we know there's some things we need to work on but I'm not disappointed in the way we played."
St. Charles North faces Conant Monday in the first round of the Barrington tournament.