St. Francis stopped by Glenbard North for a quick tune-up Tuesday afternoon.

The host Spartans dominated Immaculate Conception 9-0 in a Suburban Christian Conference match played in the rain in Carol Stream. The winners scored eight goals in the first half to reduce the second half to 20 minutes.

St. Francis (15-2, 8-0) sought a quick, efficient victory in advance of today’s showdown against Wheaton Academy.

Before St. Francis could fully focus on Wheaton Academy, it needed to take care of business against IC (3-13, 1-7). The Spartans did that quickly, scoring three goals in the first 10 minutes en route to an 8-0 halftime cushion.

“We wanted to get seven goals, cut (the second half) in half and get home as soon as possible,” St. Francis junior Sarah Rahman said. “Even with these conditions, I think we played really well as a team. We passed well and stayed together as a team.”

Rahman triggered the scoring rampage when her high ball from 10 yards dropped into the net for her third goal of the season, giving St. Francis a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute.

Then it was Taylor Bucaro’s time to shine. First the junior scored on a free kick from 23 yards out on the left side when she curved the ball into the right corner of the net in the ninth minute. Bucaro scored again a minute later when her shot from the left side slipped by IC goalkeeper Annie Navarette.

“Given the weather and the competition, I think we just stayed composed and played our game with the passing and tried to possess and prepare for tomorrow, too,” said Bucaro, who has four goals on the year.

Taylor Van Thournout and Katie Ramsey scored on long shots in the 19th and 22nd minute, respectively, to push St. Francis ahead 5-0.

The Spartans received a break when a long shot by Van Thournout was deflected into the net by an IC defender for a goal in the 23rd minute, making it 6-0.

St. Francis scored twice more in the first half on a blast by Kaity Bucaro and a goal by Corky Hart off a cross by Ramsey.

St. Francis goalkeeper Jenna DiTusa made two saves in the first half before giving way to Brianna Miulli in the second half.

It was the Spartans’ fifth win in a row and 11th in 12 matches.

It was also St. Francis’ first home game on Glenbard North’s synthetic turf field. The Spartans, who played on the field earlier this season in a 2-0 triumph over host Glenbard North, have been forced to play out their home schedule away from home thanks to their chewed-up and wet grass field. They’ll play one more time at Glenbard North, a May 5 date with Sycamore.

“St. Francis’ fields are awful,” Rahman said. “They’re really bumpy and Red Hawk (Park in Carol Stream) is all grassy. I like playing on turf. We definitely play better on turf. We’re a fast team so when we play on turf the ball moves faster.”

Now the Spartans can devote their full attention to Wheaton Academy, which beat them 2-0 in the Class 2A supersectionals last season.

“I’m a little nervous,” Rahman said. “It’s going to be a really tough game. It’s definitely our year to beat them. We’ve worked really hard for this. We’re a better team this year.”

“It’s our revenge game,” Taylor Bucaro said. “We are better than last year so we’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good game. It’s going to be physical. It’s going to be fast. It’s going to be very on point.”

“I hate to say this because it sounds so cliché, but we just have to take care of us,” St. Francis coach Jim Winslow said. “We know we’re a good team. We know we’re talented. I think we’ll be okay. We’re so good in back with Jenna and the four defenders. Our kids are geared for it. I know they’re up to play. I could envision seeing a 5-4 game as much as I could see a 1-0 game.”

Winslow is trying to keep the showdown in perspective.

“Tomorrow’s game, although winning would be nice, if we have to face them again, what would you rather win, tomorrow night or three weeks from now (in sectionals)?” he said. “You’ve just got to keep it in context. It’s one game in and of itself, and if we win tomorrow night, the nice thing about it is it guarantees a conference championship. We’re already the No. 1 seed in the sectional. I think it would be good for the kids. It would give them confidence.”