The Sycamore soccer team spent the first couple of minutes Friday peppering the Rock Island goal with a barrage of shots to no avail in its eventual 5-0 win over Rock Island in the Class 2A Sycamore Regional Championship game.

For more than nine minutes the Spartans (15-9) couldn’t get a shot to fall. Until Charlotte Yates, a player who has been on the field more than 1,000 minutes without a goal, took a perfect cross from Avery Olson from the right side.

“It was back post, where you should always be, and I just tapped it in,” said Yates, a midfielder who had the second-most minutes of any player on the team who hadn’t scored a goal. “It’s my first goal this season so far and I’m really glad it was now.”

Olson has four assists and one goal in 13 games this season. A large part of the Sycamore production this season has come from seniors Izzie Segreti and Cortni Kruizenga, along with junior Addison Rodriguez.

Segreti, who scored the Spartans’ third goal in the 45th minute, said it’s great to have that kind of variety, especially as the postseason starts to heat up.

The Spartans will face Plainfield Central, a 2-0 winner over Batavia, at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a Class 2A Orion Sectional semifinal.

Sycamore coach Kevin Bickley, who picked up his 100th victory as the Spartans’ head coach, said Yates’ goal was a long time coming.

“She said a couple games ago she’s been wanting to get a goal and I’m so glad for her,” Bickley said. “She has one of our really hard shots in practice. It was really good to see her get that today because she’s wanted it really bad.”

Rodriguez scored in the 25th minute on a breakaway, streaking up the left side and beating Rock Island senior goalie AJ Stewart for a 2-0 lead.

Segreti’s team-leading 26th goal came from closer to midfield than the net. She launched the bomb from the right side in the perfect spot between the crossbar and a leaping Stewart.

“I was just kind of shooting, I didn’t really think it was going in,” Segreti said. “I saw the goalie go for it and I’m like, it’s definitely over. It just happened to go in.”

Kruizenga secured the victory with insurance goals in the 54th and 55th minutes. She was held scoreless in the Spartans’ 7-0 win in the regional semifinal against Sterling.

“I’m really glad for Cort,” Bickley said. “She had a day on Tuesday. Just lots of chances that wouldn’t go in. Hit the post, hit the goalkeeper. It was good to see her get those two today. She was kind of down on herself. She just works so hard and it was good to see her rewarded today.”

The Spartans last won a regional in 2024, when they lost to Boylan in the semifinal round after beating Kaneland for a regional crown.

The last time they won a sectional was 2016, when they placed third in Class 2A.

“It feels really good,” Yates said. “It makes my heart warm and it’s good seeing everyone happy.”