Batavia starts fast, then holds off Geneva
Bulldog seniors get their first win against Vikings
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GENEVA--Karina Rosales saw it as her last chance. Ever since her freshman year, the Batavia midfielder has walked away from a rivalry match against Geneva feeling glum and disappointed.
Three times up without a victory to call their own has that effect.
"Our freshman year they beat us, our sophomore year we tied and then last year we lost in a very close game in the last minute, 2-1 they beat us," Rosales said. "There have been six of us who have played together since our our freshman year, and to beat a great team like them, and they're a great team, was really important."
Rosales converted desire into action. In the third minute she punched a left-footed ball that hit off the post. Batavia had momentum and a strong forward thrust at the start.
Forward Meagan McEachern provided the early advantage and Rosales scored what proved to be the game-winner late in the first half as the Bulldogs dominated the opening 60 minutes and then withstood the Vikings' ferocious rally for the 2-1 victory here Tuesday night.
It marked the first time in the eight-year coaching reign of Geneva's Megan Owens that Batavia has defeated their rival. "Megan's put together a nice program over in Geneva, and they've had our number the last couple of years," Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said.
"We definitely talked about starting off fast at the beginning of the game," McEachern said. The familiarity between the two meant each team had a clear and vivid picture of the other side's cumulative strengths. "We watched how they played, and we knew where we could take advantage of them defensively, where we thought they were a little weak," Rosales said.
Batavia (8-1-3, 4-1 Upstate Eight River) generated eight shots on goal in the first half. The Bulldogs manufactured multiple corner kicks, starting the game fast and swift and ratcheting up the pressure. It put Geneva on an early breaking point.
"We broke a lot of pressure playing up top to Katrina and other forwards," Gianfrancesco said.
The pressure paid off in the fifth minute. Standing about nine yards out, McEachern made a sharp and fluid read of a ball floating in the air. In one decisive action she one-touched the ball, not even allowing it to touch the ground, and the ball skirted hard and low off the ground inside the near post.
"The ball was going back and forth in the box, and then it was put up into the air and I just kind of volleyed it," she said of her 12th goal of the year. "It was great to get that first goal, and have the early advantage like that.
In a way, the early success proved somewhat illusory. Batavia dominated possession time and forced the Vikings on their heels. Unfortunately for Batavia, the early success stopped there. "When you get that early goal, sometimes you can lose your consistency and we didn't finish or get at the end of some of those balls," McEachern said.
Geneva freshman keeper Carrie Ostergard made a couple of impressive saves, including a sliding stop of Rosales. Batavia's grinding pressure appeared to finally wear the Vikings out and Rosales performed a balletic, wheeling turn and finish for the 2-0 lead in the 39th minute. Her early pressure and energy set the Bulldogs' tone and earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Geneva (4-5-2, 1-2-2) had every reason to withdraw. A funny thing happened, typical of a rivalry game. Geneva discovered itself in about the 55th minute. Until then, the Vikings failed to generate any consistent scoring threats. Their line was too dispersed to take advantage of their preferred through balls.
In the 57th minute, freshman forward Maddie Stellick made her move. After her attempted give-and-go was broken up, Stellick slipped through a Batavia defender and broke down the left side and finished a beautifully looping left-footed wedge that broke perfectly beyond the reach of Batavia keeper Jenny Scara.
"It was a beautiful goal," Owens said. "I can't really explain what caused us to flip the switch the way we did. I thought the whole game we had tremendous effort, but in the first half it was all individual, we weren't connecting.
"In the second half we knew we had to play better, and I think the kids just decided they were tired of getting beat and they were going to show what Geneva soccer is all about."
The reversal was stark and dramatic. Geneva was the team playing free and open. Batavia was "discombobulated," in its coach's words. "I think we started to freak out there," Rosales said. Geneva found its confidence and rhythm and shaped the action. The team's free kick specialist, Megan Fitz, nearly produced the equalizer in the 72nd minute. Her free kick from about 25 yards seemingly froze the Bulldogs and hit off the near post.
A game that was so demonstrably in the control of Batavia was that close. "We were a little too loose there and they really had us our heels, but I thought we did a good job in the final five minutes of settling down and handling their pressure," McEachern said.
Geneva's refrain was a familiar one, that its youth and learning on the go is very much a process the young team is experiencing game by game.
"It was a tale of two halves," Owens said. "If we can learn to put two really good halves together, if we can play a whole game the way we did the second half tonight, then we're going to be really dangerous."
Batavia's nine seniors were able to breathe in, and celebrate. They won their last game against Geneva.
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK: Jenny Scara
D: Rachel Reinecke
D: Abby Wood
D: Kayla Stolfa
D: Alison Grimm
M: Olivia Callipari
M: Alexis Bryl
M: Karina Rosales
F: Megan McEachern
F: Tori Renfus
F: Keegan Maris
Geneva
GK: Carrie Ostergard
D: Quincy Swanson
D: Maddy Parise
D: Megan Newingham
D: Leah Groven
D: Grace Stellick
M: Megan Fitz
M: Lauren Albrecht
M: Briar Schwardt
F: Mary Landry
F: Maddie Stellick
MVP of the Match: Katrina Rosales, MF, Batavia
Officials: Keith Angel (center); Steve Jablow; Sam Paisley
Bulldog seniors get their first win against Vikings
By Patrick Z. McGavin
GENEVA--Karina Rosales saw it as her last chance. Ever since her freshman year, the Batavia midfielder has walked away from a rivalry match against Geneva feeling glum and disappointed.
Three times up without a victory to call their own has that effect.
"Our freshman year they beat us, our sophomore year we tied and then last year we lost in a very close game in the last minute, 2-1 they beat us," Rosales said. "There have been six of us who have played together since our our freshman year, and to beat a great team like them, and they're a great team, was really important."
Rosales converted desire into action. In the third minute she punched a left-footed ball that hit off the post. Batavia had momentum and a strong forward thrust at the start.
Forward Meagan McEachern provided the early advantage and Rosales scored what proved to be the game-winner late in the first half as the Bulldogs dominated the opening 60 minutes and then withstood the Vikings' ferocious rally for the 2-1 victory here Tuesday night.
It marked the first time in the eight-year coaching reign of Geneva's Megan Owens that Batavia has defeated their rival. "Megan's put together a nice program over in Geneva, and they've had our number the last couple of years," Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said.
"We definitely talked about starting off fast at the beginning of the game," McEachern said. The familiarity between the two meant each team had a clear and vivid picture of the other side's cumulative strengths. "We watched how they played, and we knew where we could take advantage of them defensively, where we thought they were a little weak," Rosales said.
Batavia (8-1-3, 4-1 Upstate Eight River) generated eight shots on goal in the first half. The Bulldogs manufactured multiple corner kicks, starting the game fast and swift and ratcheting up the pressure. It put Geneva on an early breaking point.
"We broke a lot of pressure playing up top to Katrina and other forwards," Gianfrancesco said.
The pressure paid off in the fifth minute. Standing about nine yards out, McEachern made a sharp and fluid read of a ball floating in the air. In one decisive action she one-touched the ball, not even allowing it to touch the ground, and the ball skirted hard and low off the ground inside the near post.
"The ball was going back and forth in the box, and then it was put up into the air and I just kind of volleyed it," she said of her 12th goal of the year. "It was great to get that first goal, and have the early advantage like that.
In a way, the early success proved somewhat illusory. Batavia dominated possession time and forced the Vikings on their heels. Unfortunately for Batavia, the early success stopped there. "When you get that early goal, sometimes you can lose your consistency and we didn't finish or get at the end of some of those balls," McEachern said.
Geneva freshman keeper Carrie Ostergard made a couple of impressive saves, including a sliding stop of Rosales. Batavia's grinding pressure appeared to finally wear the Vikings out and Rosales performed a balletic, wheeling turn and finish for the 2-0 lead in the 39th minute. Her early pressure and energy set the Bulldogs' tone and earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honor.
Geneva (4-5-2, 1-2-2) had every reason to withdraw. A funny thing happened, typical of a rivalry game. Geneva discovered itself in about the 55th minute. Until then, the Vikings failed to generate any consistent scoring threats. Their line was too dispersed to take advantage of their preferred through balls.
In the 57th minute, freshman forward Maddie Stellick made her move. After her attempted give-and-go was broken up, Stellick slipped through a Batavia defender and broke down the left side and finished a beautifully looping left-footed wedge that broke perfectly beyond the reach of Batavia keeper Jenny Scara.
"It was a beautiful goal," Owens said. "I can't really explain what caused us to flip the switch the way we did. I thought the whole game we had tremendous effort, but in the first half it was all individual, we weren't connecting.
"In the second half we knew we had to play better, and I think the kids just decided they were tired of getting beat and they were going to show what Geneva soccer is all about."
The reversal was stark and dramatic. Geneva was the team playing free and open. Batavia was "discombobulated," in its coach's words. "I think we started to freak out there," Rosales said. Geneva found its confidence and rhythm and shaped the action. The team's free kick specialist, Megan Fitz, nearly produced the equalizer in the 72nd minute. Her free kick from about 25 yards seemingly froze the Bulldogs and hit off the near post.
A game that was so demonstrably in the control of Batavia was that close. "We were a little too loose there and they really had us our heels, but I thought we did a good job in the final five minutes of settling down and handling their pressure," McEachern said.
Geneva's refrain was a familiar one, that its youth and learning on the go is very much a process the young team is experiencing game by game.
"It was a tale of two halves," Owens said. "If we can learn to put two really good halves together, if we can play a whole game the way we did the second half tonight, then we're going to be really dangerous."
Batavia's nine seniors were able to breathe in, and celebrate. They won their last game against Geneva.
Starting lineups
Batavia
GK: Jenny Scara
D: Rachel Reinecke
D: Abby Wood
D: Kayla Stolfa
D: Alison Grimm
M: Olivia Callipari
M: Alexis Bryl
M: Karina Rosales
F: Megan McEachern
F: Tori Renfus
F: Keegan Maris
Geneva
GK: Carrie Ostergard
D: Quincy Swanson
D: Maddy Parise
D: Megan Newingham
D: Leah Groven
D: Grace Stellick
M: Megan Fitz
M: Lauren Albrecht
M: Briar Schwardt
F: Mary Landry
F: Maddie Stellick
MVP of the Match: Katrina Rosales, MF, Batavia
Officials: Keith Angel (center); Steve Jablow; Sam Paisley