St. Charles East scores early and often to secure victory over Burlington Central

SAINT CHARLES — St. Charles East defender Presley Kannaka didn’t think she would get the chance to get her first varsity goal when she did.

In the fifth minute of their contest against Burlington Central, the Saints earned a corner kick, with the sophomore lined up on line with the far post.

And she knew if she wanted to get that goal, especially with Purdue commit Kenzie Lorowski in the net, everything would have to be perfect.

And as freshman Qori Strotkamp sent the ball in from the corner, the sophomore was thinking one thing.

“The ball she played was, I mean, perfect,” Kannaka said. “I wasn’t thinking I was going to get that ball, but I took the risk and got it.”

Kannaka’s goal set the tone for the Saints early, and they went on to add four more scores in the contest, pulling off a 5-0 victory over the Rockets for their sixth consecutive victory.

“I was a bit worried about how we’d play in a Tuesday game at 12 p.m. in the middle of spring break, but they responded well,” Saints coach Vince DiNuzzo said. “They stepped up and finished some chances. We left a lot of scoring chances out there, but it’s good that we’re creating those opportunities.”

Along with Kannaka, junior Abby Sempsrott, junior Anika Dodrill and freshman Mya Leon each also found the back of the net for the Saints, with the latter of the four being the only player with two goals in the game.

The five goals on the day moved the Saints’ total on the season to 24, a major difference from last season where they had only eight goals scored after their game against the Rockets.

“It’s just a different team compared to last year,” DiNuzzo said. “All of the underclassmen are now more confident playing with each other. All that matters is the end of the season, but we thought that next year was going to be the window of opportunity for us, but it definitely looks like these girls are ready to step up and play.”

Meanwhile, Kannaka led the young defense against the equally young Rockets offense in securing their fourth shutout of the season, as they only allowed two shots on goal, which were both easily saved by keeper Sidney Lazenby.

“I think that there isn’t a defender that I don’t trust on this team,” Kannaka said. “I trust them 100% and my goalie trusts me in full as well. The communication has been getting better with each game, and being able to learn each other through these first seven games has been awesome. We just flow well together.”

The loss was the biggest of the season so far for the Rockets (1-5). While for some it seems like some cause for concern, Rockets coach Jessica Arneson said that a tough nonconference slate is used to help the team grow and become the most prepared it can be when it comes to conference and postseason play.

“The girls know that this is the situation we walk into most years,” Arneson said. “This is what we use to grow and change and get better. They’ve just got to buy into it, and I think they do.”

The Rockets found themselves in a similar situation the season before, sporting a 1-5-2 record after a scoreless tie against East. Central went on to finish the season 14-5 and finishing in fourth place in the Class 3A playoffs.

And Arneson is hoping that after a bit of relaxation, the team can imitate a similar result, and maybe help the team win its first Fox Valley Conference title.

“If you’ve faced these typed of teams, nothing should scare or intimidate us,” Arneson said. “Now we can face forward to the rest of the season knowing that we’ve been through the worst of it. And I think it’ll serve its purpose the same way it did last year.”

https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2025/04/02/st-charles-east-scores-early-and-often-to-secure-victory-over-burlington-central/