Youth is served, Geneva rallies past Batavia
Freshmen lead Vikings to 3-1 victory over Bulldogs
By Chris Walker
GENEVA -- Geneva coach Megan Owens has seen what her young Vikings are capable of doing at times this spring, but playing a complete game has remained elusive.
That didn’t change during Thursday’s DuKane Conference match against visiting Batavia, but the Vikings did play a fantastic second half, scoring three unanswered goals to beat their longtime foes 3-1.
“The second half is how we’d like to play, and that’s what we’re capable of doing,” she said. “We scored three goals in 15 minutes so we just need to work on playing a complete game.
“We had a very flat first half, and I think it was because of the heat. And not to make excuses, but it wasn’t our best first half. I challenged them to respond.
“In the second half they played their game, and I was very pleased with the response. I thought we connected really well, and so yeah, it was a very solid showing for us.”
Geneva (8-6-0, 7-5-0) didn’t waste much time in the second half. It netted the equalizer after freshman Lilly Coats found sophomore Rilee Hasegawa who fired home a shot from 20 yards just 2:40 into the second half.
“We kept our confidence,” Hasegawa said about playing from behind and keeping the team keeping its composure. “Once we figure teams out, we know where their weaknesses are and know where to put the right players in the right space to take on those girls.
“Once we do that we’re able to play around everyone and work together and actually trust each other with the ball and that just allows us to come through in the end.”
Since it’s not uncommon for a team to outplay an opponent yet trail in the scoreboard in a sport where scoring is so difficult and scarce, Geneva’s been in this position before.
“Unfortunately this happens to us a lot,” Hasegawa said. “But when we came into the second half and were down 1-0 we really got fired up at the beginning of the second half and went at them.
“That’s what created the opportunity on our first goal. Once we equalized it, we were able to build off of it and then keep going at them. They didn’t know what to do, and they weren’t expecting it.”
Riding the momentum of Hasegawa’s equalizer, the Vikings took the lead with 31:52 remaining. Freshman Evyn Schokora received the ball from fellow Class of 2024 player Olivia Rawls and squeezed in a shot from a difficult angle deep on the side of the box.
Her shot dodged the reach of Batavia goalkeeper Morgan Haug, caromed off the cross bar and settled in the back of the net for a 2-1 lead.
“I beat my player down the line but it was a tough angle to shoot, but I figured let’s go for it and see what happens, and it went in,” Schokora said. “I think everyone had that extra boost (after Hasegawa tied the game) so we felt good that we could finish them there.”
Schokora, who was named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match, was one of seven underclassmen in Geneva’s starting lineup, and one of three freshmen starters. Keep in mind that septet is in its first year of high school soccer after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season. Without a doubt, the future is bright at Geneva, and the Vikings are already competing hard.
“Evyn’s got a lot of potential as a freshman starting every game for varsity. We’ve got a few freshmen and sophomores this year, and they’ve really stepped up,” Owens said. “They’ve contributed in a positive way, which is great. They are going to have a very solid two to three years.”
A good talking to from Owens at halftime and a change in formations worked wonders as the Vikings seized control of the game, going from down 1-0 at half to ahead 3-1 with 26:38 left to play after Schokora converted her first PK in the middle of a high school match against a rival.
Was the freshman concerned? Nah.
“I haven’t taken one like that this season or have a routine, I just go up and do it,” she said. “But I do tune everything out, and I am just focused on everything I’m doing in that second.”
Schokora went right with her shot and Haug looked to maybe nick the shot with her foot in defense, but nothing to divert it from its resting place in the back of the net.
“I think it was good that we had our talk during halftime and we figured out what we needed to work on and then we implemented that in the first 25 minutes,” she said. “We really went out there and our second half was much better than the first. We were winning the 50/50s and playing even harder than before. We did come off a couple of losses. We were down early in this game but were able to come back which I think really shows our quality as a team.”
Batavia (5-10-0, 4-8) got an early goal on a counter from Johanna Shubert to Brooke Carlson. But the Bulldogs struggled creating opportunities throughout the night and were unable to match the solid efforts they’ve had in the past week. Those included a big win over Metea Valley on Saturday. Even Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South featured a strong showing from the Bulldogs.
“I would say in the first half we didn’t deserve to be up 1-0, they were much more physical than us,” Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “Our goal was against the run of play, and they were pressing us the whole time. They were more energetic, and we just didn’t have it today. So that’s what it is.”
Gianfrancesco praised the play of his reserves in the second half on a night that the Bulldogs didn’t perform nearly as well as they did the previous week.
“Our bench gave us some energy, and they were in the last 20 to 25 minutes,” he said. “I thought they played really solid with a more energy and were more physical.”
Batavia senior Ashley Whelpley acknowledged that it was simply “a bad game” for the Bulldogs.
“I don’t know why but our energy was just down and stuff and we’ve been improving, but today wasn’t our best day,” she said. “We’re a young team with only three seniors, but we’ve developed a lot of chemistry on the field.
“We’ve been improving every single game but just had a bad game today. Even after tough losses we’ve been able to come back, so we’ll have to try to do that again.”
As Gianfrancesco made substitutions in the second half as the game slipped away from the Bulldogs, they also got a boost of energy, a positive that wasn’t lost on Whepley and her teammates.
“He pulled some of us today and the people that played in the second half played way better than we did in the first half,” Whepley said. “And that’s good because it means the whole team is super solid. We also still need to work up to our full potential. It’s been a hard season, but we’ve been adapting and been getting in every game. And our goal is perform at our full potential by the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Batavia
G – Morgan Haug
D – Kyla Mackenzie
D – Caitlin Callahan
D – Carlin King
D – Alyssa Sarik
M – Brooke Carlson
M – Riley DiBiase
M – Avery Solomon
M – Ashley Whelpley
F – Johanna Shubert
F – Lilly Figueras
Geneva
G – Jordan Forbes
D - Grace Belanger
D - Lilly Coats
D - Addyson Mitchell
D - Morgan Slagle
D - Isabella Walls
M- Kelly Anderson
M - Julianna Drew
M - Evyn Schokora
F - Rilee Hasegawa
F - Morgan Rudowicz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Evyn Schokora, fr., MF, Geneva
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia – Brooke Carlson (Johanna Shubert), 12th minute
Second half
Geneva – Rilee Hasegawa (Olivia Rawls), 62nd minute
Geneva – Evyn Schokora (Lilly Coats), 68th minute
Geneva – Evyn Schokora PK, 73rd minute
Freshmen lead Vikings to 3-1 victory over Bulldogs
By Chris Walker
GENEVA -- Geneva coach Megan Owens has seen what her young Vikings are capable of doing at times this spring, but playing a complete game has remained elusive.
That didn’t change during Thursday’s DuKane Conference match against visiting Batavia, but the Vikings did play a fantastic second half, scoring three unanswered goals to beat their longtime foes 3-1.
“The second half is how we’d like to play, and that’s what we’re capable of doing,” she said. “We scored three goals in 15 minutes so we just need to work on playing a complete game.
“We had a very flat first half, and I think it was because of the heat. And not to make excuses, but it wasn’t our best first half. I challenged them to respond.
“In the second half they played their game, and I was very pleased with the response. I thought we connected really well, and so yeah, it was a very solid showing for us.”
Geneva (8-6-0, 7-5-0) didn’t waste much time in the second half. It netted the equalizer after freshman Lilly Coats found sophomore Rilee Hasegawa who fired home a shot from 20 yards just 2:40 into the second half.
“We kept our confidence,” Hasegawa said about playing from behind and keeping the team keeping its composure. “Once we figure teams out, we know where their weaknesses are and know where to put the right players in the right space to take on those girls.
“Once we do that we’re able to play around everyone and work together and actually trust each other with the ball and that just allows us to come through in the end.”
Since it’s not uncommon for a team to outplay an opponent yet trail in the scoreboard in a sport where scoring is so difficult and scarce, Geneva’s been in this position before.
“Unfortunately this happens to us a lot,” Hasegawa said. “But when we came into the second half and were down 1-0 we really got fired up at the beginning of the second half and went at them.
“That’s what created the opportunity on our first goal. Once we equalized it, we were able to build off of it and then keep going at them. They didn’t know what to do, and they weren’t expecting it.”
Riding the momentum of Hasegawa’s equalizer, the Vikings took the lead with 31:52 remaining. Freshman Evyn Schokora received the ball from fellow Class of 2024 player Olivia Rawls and squeezed in a shot from a difficult angle deep on the side of the box.
Her shot dodged the reach of Batavia goalkeeper Morgan Haug, caromed off the cross bar and settled in the back of the net for a 2-1 lead.
“I beat my player down the line but it was a tough angle to shoot, but I figured let’s go for it and see what happens, and it went in,” Schokora said. “I think everyone had that extra boost (after Hasegawa tied the game) so we felt good that we could finish them there.”
Schokora, who was named Chicagoland Soccer’s MVP of the Match, was one of seven underclassmen in Geneva’s starting lineup, and one of three freshmen starters. Keep in mind that septet is in its first year of high school soccer after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 season. Without a doubt, the future is bright at Geneva, and the Vikings are already competing hard.
“Evyn’s got a lot of potential as a freshman starting every game for varsity. We’ve got a few freshmen and sophomores this year, and they’ve really stepped up,” Owens said. “They’ve contributed in a positive way, which is great. They are going to have a very solid two to three years.”
A good talking to from Owens at halftime and a change in formations worked wonders as the Vikings seized control of the game, going from down 1-0 at half to ahead 3-1 with 26:38 left to play after Schokora converted her first PK in the middle of a high school match against a rival.
Was the freshman concerned? Nah.
“I haven’t taken one like that this season or have a routine, I just go up and do it,” she said. “But I do tune everything out, and I am just focused on everything I’m doing in that second.”
Schokora went right with her shot and Haug looked to maybe nick the shot with her foot in defense, but nothing to divert it from its resting place in the back of the net.
“I think it was good that we had our talk during halftime and we figured out what we needed to work on and then we implemented that in the first 25 minutes,” she said. “We really went out there and our second half was much better than the first. We were winning the 50/50s and playing even harder than before. We did come off a couple of losses. We were down early in this game but were able to come back which I think really shows our quality as a team.”
Batavia (5-10-0, 4-8) got an early goal on a counter from Johanna Shubert to Brooke Carlson. But the Bulldogs struggled creating opportunities throughout the night and were unable to match the solid efforts they’ve had in the past week. Those included a big win over Metea Valley on Saturday. Even Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South featured a strong showing from the Bulldogs.
“I would say in the first half we didn’t deserve to be up 1-0, they were much more physical than us,” Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco said. “Our goal was against the run of play, and they were pressing us the whole time. They were more energetic, and we just didn’t have it today. So that’s what it is.”
Gianfrancesco praised the play of his reserves in the second half on a night that the Bulldogs didn’t perform nearly as well as they did the previous week.
“Our bench gave us some energy, and they were in the last 20 to 25 minutes,” he said. “I thought they played really solid with a more energy and were more physical.”
Batavia senior Ashley Whelpley acknowledged that it was simply “a bad game” for the Bulldogs.
“I don’t know why but our energy was just down and stuff and we’ve been improving, but today wasn’t our best day,” she said. “We’re a young team with only three seniors, but we’ve developed a lot of chemistry on the field.
“We’ve been improving every single game but just had a bad game today. Even after tough losses we’ve been able to come back, so we’ll have to try to do that again.”
As Gianfrancesco made substitutions in the second half as the game slipped away from the Bulldogs, they also got a boost of energy, a positive that wasn’t lost on Whepley and her teammates.
“He pulled some of us today and the people that played in the second half played way better than we did in the first half,” Whepley said. “And that’s good because it means the whole team is super solid. We also still need to work up to our full potential. It’s been a hard season, but we’ve been adapting and been getting in every game. And our goal is perform at our full potential by the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Batavia
G – Morgan Haug
D – Kyla Mackenzie
D – Caitlin Callahan
D – Carlin King
D – Alyssa Sarik
M – Brooke Carlson
M – Riley DiBiase
M – Avery Solomon
M – Ashley Whelpley
F – Johanna Shubert
F – Lilly Figueras
Geneva
G – Jordan Forbes
D - Grace Belanger
D - Lilly Coats
D - Addyson Mitchell
D - Morgan Slagle
D - Isabella Walls
M- Kelly Anderson
M - Julianna Drew
M - Evyn Schokora
F - Rilee Hasegawa
F - Morgan Rudowicz
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Evyn Schokora, fr., MF, Geneva
Scoring summary
First half
Batavia – Brooke Carlson (Johanna Shubert), 12th minute
Second half
Geneva – Rilee Hasegawa (Olivia Rawls), 62nd minute
Geneva – Evyn Schokora (Lilly Coats), 68th minute
Geneva – Evyn Schokora PK, 73rd minute