Averie Foulkes bristled at the very idea of history repeating itself for St. Charles East.
The junior central defender watched her season end each of the last two years against archrival St. Charles North. And if she had her way, that wasn’t going to happen again Tuesday night.
“If I’m being completely honest, I just felt angry,” Foulkes said. “I really wanted to beat them.
“This was our year. We had to show out and put our best foot forward.”
Foulkes put her best scoring foot forward, smashing home a rebound goal in the 90th minute for the host Saints in a 2-1 double-overtime victory over the North Stars in a Class 3A St. Charles East Sectional semifinal.
Junior forward Lilli Margewich scored the apparent winner in the 73rd minute for the top-seeded Saints (20-0-5), who will take on second-seeded Wheaton Warrenville South at 6:30 p.m. Friday for the sectional title.
But senior forward Kaitlyn Nudera, who notched the winning goal in last year’s 1-0 sectional upset, responded by converting in the 76th minute for fifth-seeded St. Charles North (9-7-3).
Foulkes, meanwhile, showcased a grueling 100 minutes of aggressive, tough and disciplined play for St. Charles East that kept the North Stars’ offense largely sidelined.
“Her work rate is amazing and she’s just a great person to be around,” Margewich said. “She really brought our team back up and put that energy into the team.
“She’s so calm on the ball and she’s great at either clearing out of the back or distributing and getting the ball out wide in our attack.”
Sophomore forward Mya Leon, one of the state’s top scorers with 47 goals, tallied her team-best 16th assist on Margewich’s goal.
“Averie’s always going to give you 110%,” Leon said. “I think she has really stepped up and become so advanced in her skills and more confident leading us from the back.
“As a person, she’s one of the kindest souls you’ll ever come across. She almost has a split persona — very competitive and eager on the field and one of the kindest people I know off it.”
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Foulkes came through with her first goal of the season off a corner kick that began with a deflected shot by junior forward Sophia Wollenberg.
“It’s a top 10 experience in my life, no question about it,” Foulkes said. “There’s no better feeling, especially watching my older teammates support me.
“It made me feel so happy that I could finally win this, and in a way, win it for them.”
Foulkes, a converted midfielder, has been a rock for St. Charles East’s three-player defense that has posted 13 shutouts. She has played 1.731 minutes, the second-highest total on the team.
Her importance has been magnified by the absence of junior defender Presley Kannaka, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the third game. Foulkes has taken control.
“I think I gravitated toward central back because it’s such a physical position,” she said. “I like being able to see the whole field and communicate what I see to my teammates.
“I think it’s a really fun position to play.”
Competition is part of Foulkes’ family dynamic. Her father, Mark, is a longtime fixture in the baseball program as a head coach and pitching coach. She’s a chip off the block.
“Growing up, we were always playing sports,” she said. “I’d be playing two or three sports at a time. I feel like I’ve been doing it ever since I was alive, running around, which is why I love it.”
And on this night, she changed the narrative for the Saints.
“There’s that special moment when you get to run up and hug the players you love on the field,” she said. “It’s such an amazing group and I don’t think any of us want the season to end.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.