Saint Viator bounces back with
strong effort against Geneva
Trovato sparks 2-0 win with second-half goal, assist
By Derek Wolff
GENEVA -- A day after a “brutal” 6-1 loss against Carmel, Saint Viator didn’t waste much time getting back into the win column, defeating Geneva on the road 2-0 on Thursday night in the consolation bracket of the Naperville Invite.
The Lions (10-3-0) were aided by a stellar performance from senior forward and Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match Michelle Trovato, who had a goal and an assist in the win.
“It says a lot about a team, how they come out after a game like that, and I think we really needed this win,” Trovato said. “A lot of us were talking about how yesterday was the worst game we’ve ever played together, and we had something to prove to ourselves and the other team. I think we’re all really happy with the outcome of this game.”
Geneva (6-8-2) maintained the pace of play early in a scoreless first half, with the Vikings getting a grade-A chance right out of the gate in the first minute.
Maddie Stellick received a ball over the top and drove toward the net on the right side of the 18 before firing off a shot that was redirected wide by Lions goalkeeper Anna Johnston.
Stellick’s followup shot rang off the goal post, missing the bar by inches.
Neither side had many high-quality scoring chances after in the first, but Geneva started the second half in the same fashion.
Senior forward Mary Landry took a ball on the left side of the 18 and spun around a defender before firing off a shot toward Johnston, who sprawled to her left to punch the ball out of play for a throw-in.
In the 50th minute, Saint Viator took the lead when sophomore midfielder Delia Douglas received a ball from Trovato at the top of the box, whirled around and knocked in the near-post strike.
With Wednesday’s loss still fresh in her mind, Douglas didn’t want the team to suffer the same fate.
“At the halftime talk, our coaches really got us going and reminded us of the game yesterday and that we had to communicate more,” Douglas said. “Me and Michelle, we’ve been working on those runs in practice, so it was good to finish that one.”
The goal put the Vikings on alert, and they responded with a renewed sense of urgency. Landry led the way. Her shot on net in the 71st minute nearly proved to be the equalizer, but once again Johnston was up to the test and punched it away for a corner kick.
The Lions defense on the set piece worked to perfection, clearing away the corner.
Trovato made it a 2-0 game in the 77th minute, following up on a through ball inside the 6-yard box to double the lead.
“I’ve been having a dry spell with my shooting, and something just told me, ‘Keep going to goal, keep going to goal, eventually you’re going to get one,’ ” Trovato said. “That was my plan, and it worked.”
After wins in back-to-back games, the loss was a letdown, Vikings coach Megan Owens said.
“We definitely stepped up the intensity level in the second half,” Owens said. “I just wish it had been there (earlier). I think we controlled the run of play the first 20 minutes, and then we were getting so many opportunities that we sat back on our heels and they jumped on us in that situation. We’ve had two strong games this week and didn’t play our best.”
A number of lingering injuries, including one to starting goalkeeper Emma Harkleroad, have hampered the Vikings this season and forced younger players into starting roles.
“I think it’s really a reality check for them, especially since we had won our last two games. That brought everyone up,” Mary Landry said of the experience for her younger teammates to play in such a selective tournament late in the season. “In this game, especially with playing down to their level, I think we could have played harder. Our seniors are very upset because we thought we could have done better against this team, so it gets us in the mind-set to get ready for playoffs.”
Saint Viator coach Mike Taylor was not available for the game, with assistant coach Bryan Dahlquist taking the reins in his stead.
“We played OK in the first half,” Dahlquist said. “I thought we were still trying to get our legs under us after a brutal game yesterday. But for the most part, we made a couple of adjustments, and I thought our girls played exceptionally well in the second half. We controlled the majority of the half and had a bunch of chances. Geneva’s a good team, but I thought we played very well.”
The Lions earned their eighth shutout of the season and will take on Lyons on Friday to conclude the tournament.
“One of our strengths has been defense,” Dahlquist said. “We don’t score a ton of goals, but we talked about picking our spots and when we had opportunities making the most of them. When we got a couple of sniffs around the goal, we put them away.”
Starting lineups
Saint Viator
GK Anna Johnston
D Emma Henry
D Maureen McGrath
M Lauren Kohn
M Molly Murphy
M Felicia Moncada
M Maggie Leazer
M Brittney McVeigh
M Delia Douglas
M Susie Moynihan
F Michelle Trovato
Geneva
GK Carrie Ostergard
D Quincy Swanson
D Megan Newingham
D Leah Groven
D Grace Stellick
M Allie Mikos
M Megan Fitz
M Lauren Albrecht
M Emily Hauser
M Mary Landry
F Maddie Stellick
MVP of the Match: Michelle Trovato, F, Saint Viator
strong effort against Geneva
Trovato sparks 2-0 win with second-half goal, assist
By Derek Wolff
GENEVA -- A day after a “brutal” 6-1 loss against Carmel, Saint Viator didn’t waste much time getting back into the win column, defeating Geneva on the road 2-0 on Thursday night in the consolation bracket of the Naperville Invite.
The Lions (10-3-0) were aided by a stellar performance from senior forward and Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match Michelle Trovato, who had a goal and an assist in the win.
“It says a lot about a team, how they come out after a game like that, and I think we really needed this win,” Trovato said. “A lot of us were talking about how yesterday was the worst game we’ve ever played together, and we had something to prove to ourselves and the other team. I think we’re all really happy with the outcome of this game.”
Geneva (6-8-2) maintained the pace of play early in a scoreless first half, with the Vikings getting a grade-A chance right out of the gate in the first minute.
Maddie Stellick received a ball over the top and drove toward the net on the right side of the 18 before firing off a shot that was redirected wide by Lions goalkeeper Anna Johnston.
Stellick’s followup shot rang off the goal post, missing the bar by inches.
Neither side had many high-quality scoring chances after in the first, but Geneva started the second half in the same fashion.
Senior forward Mary Landry took a ball on the left side of the 18 and spun around a defender before firing off a shot toward Johnston, who sprawled to her left to punch the ball out of play for a throw-in.
In the 50th minute, Saint Viator took the lead when sophomore midfielder Delia Douglas received a ball from Trovato at the top of the box, whirled around and knocked in the near-post strike.
With Wednesday’s loss still fresh in her mind, Douglas didn’t want the team to suffer the same fate.
“At the halftime talk, our coaches really got us going and reminded us of the game yesterday and that we had to communicate more,” Douglas said. “Me and Michelle, we’ve been working on those runs in practice, so it was good to finish that one.”
The goal put the Vikings on alert, and they responded with a renewed sense of urgency. Landry led the way. Her shot on net in the 71st minute nearly proved to be the equalizer, but once again Johnston was up to the test and punched it away for a corner kick.
The Lions defense on the set piece worked to perfection, clearing away the corner.
Trovato made it a 2-0 game in the 77th minute, following up on a through ball inside the 6-yard box to double the lead.
“I’ve been having a dry spell with my shooting, and something just told me, ‘Keep going to goal, keep going to goal, eventually you’re going to get one,’ ” Trovato said. “That was my plan, and it worked.”
After wins in back-to-back games, the loss was a letdown, Vikings coach Megan Owens said.
“We definitely stepped up the intensity level in the second half,” Owens said. “I just wish it had been there (earlier). I think we controlled the run of play the first 20 minutes, and then we were getting so many opportunities that we sat back on our heels and they jumped on us in that situation. We’ve had two strong games this week and didn’t play our best.”
A number of lingering injuries, including one to starting goalkeeper Emma Harkleroad, have hampered the Vikings this season and forced younger players into starting roles.
“I think it’s really a reality check for them, especially since we had won our last two games. That brought everyone up,” Mary Landry said of the experience for her younger teammates to play in such a selective tournament late in the season. “In this game, especially with playing down to their level, I think we could have played harder. Our seniors are very upset because we thought we could have done better against this team, so it gets us in the mind-set to get ready for playoffs.”
Saint Viator coach Mike Taylor was not available for the game, with assistant coach Bryan Dahlquist taking the reins in his stead.
“We played OK in the first half,” Dahlquist said. “I thought we were still trying to get our legs under us after a brutal game yesterday. But for the most part, we made a couple of adjustments, and I thought our girls played exceptionally well in the second half. We controlled the majority of the half and had a bunch of chances. Geneva’s a good team, but I thought we played very well.”
The Lions earned their eighth shutout of the season and will take on Lyons on Friday to conclude the tournament.
“One of our strengths has been defense,” Dahlquist said. “We don’t score a ton of goals, but we talked about picking our spots and when we had opportunities making the most of them. When we got a couple of sniffs around the goal, we put them away.”
Starting lineups
Saint Viator
GK Anna Johnston
D Emma Henry
D Maureen McGrath
M Lauren Kohn
M Molly Murphy
M Felicia Moncada
M Maggie Leazer
M Brittney McVeigh
M Delia Douglas
M Susie Moynihan
F Michelle Trovato
Geneva
GK Carrie Ostergard
D Quincy Swanson
D Megan Newingham
D Leah Groven
D Grace Stellick
M Allie Mikos
M Megan Fitz
M Lauren Albrecht
M Emily Hauser
M Mary Landry
F Maddie Stellick
MVP of the Match: Michelle Trovato, F, Saint Viator