Geneva wins despite lack of smooth sailing
Vikings end 3-game winless streak with 3-0 victory over Boylan
By Steve Nemeth
GENEVA -- Coach Megan Owens is convinced Geneva simply isn’t playing up to its potential.
That’s why the 10th-year skipper sounded less than enthusiastic after the Vikings, honorably mentioned in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 Poll, chalked up a 3-0 victory over Boylan in the consolation pool of the Naperville Invitational.
“It’s been a long season, and we’ve been through a tough stretch, so I’m proud they persevered even when not playing their best,” Owens said.
Considering it was the first win for the Vikings (8-5-2) in the last four outings one might expect a mix of satisfaction and relief, but a little background is needed.
With back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances and the majority of the roster back from posting the second-best record (21-2-1) and least number of losses in school history, Owens isn’t willing to lessen her expectations. Yes, the Vikings won St. Charles East’s 29th annual Augsburg-Drach Invitational title and sported a 7-3-1 standard prior to the Naperville Invitational’s opening round of group play.
In fairness to Geneva, all that previous success has put a target on the the Vikings collective back and recent bounces simply haven’ gone their way. Not to mention, a schedule that has been demanding and is only going to get tougher.
The initial trio of losses came courtesy of nationally ranked Missouri powerhouse Incarnate Ward, top-ranked St. Charles North in a 7-5 rain-soaked slugfest, and 1-0 loss to a Napervllle Central crew eager to negate a forfeit in the Augsburg-Drach event.
But then came back-to-back 3-2 losses in the Naperville Invitataional group play: the first based on a 6-5 shootout loss to Downers Grove South; and the other being a two-overtime setback to no. 20 Waubonsie Valley. Then came a 1-1 draw with no. 10 Batavia – a Tri-Cities and Upstate Eight Conference River Division rival.
Suddenly it’s easier to understand why Owens found it hard to be overjoyed with the latest triumph.
Plus the veteran coach knows the quality of play Geneva needs to deal with its remaining schedule that features five of six opponents which can be found ranked between No. 6 and 23 on this week’s Chicagoland Soccer poll. Like Friday’s (4-27) Naperville Invitational consolation pool assignment versus no. 6-rated Loyola.
While the Vikings produced their fifth shutout victory, game statistics verified why Owens thought her team could have/should have done better. Geneva owned a 28-2 advantage for overall shots, a 17-1 edge in shots on goal, a 5-0 tally for corner kicks, plus had to overcome eing whistled offsides on six occasions compared to zero for Boylan.
But the effort was there: with less than two minutes played, a Stephanie Howe shot required a save by Boylan goalie Morgan Dolphin; at 2:44 elapsed, Geneva led 1-0 based on fundamental principle taught in Soccer 101: set up an open teammate with a solid cross.
Freshman Annie Brolly chalked up her fourth assist of the season with a feed enabling Sydney Gratz to register the first of two goals that earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match status.
“Both goals came straight from what we practice, namely quick one- or two-touch passing in order to shift the defense out of place,” Gratz explained. “Annie’s job was to find feet, and in this case, mine. I was able to pick a corner to aim for, and it felt good right away.”
“It really was an example of repetition from practice,” Brolly added. “In drills or scrimmage play, we work on finding the open player and playing it to her feet. I saw Sydney wide open and knew if I got it to her, she’d definitely score.”
Unfortunately for the Vikings, it wasn’t quite as easy rinse and repeat. While Geneva kept Dolphin under duress, the 1-0 margin remained the same to halftime. A variety of players had stellar chances to increase the lead but either shot wide or high, or were thwarted by the Titans’ keeper.
The close-but-no-goal sequence continued at the start of the second half until the 45:44 time-point. That’s when Howe tallied her third assist for the year by springing Gratz on a far side run. The Viking junior worked past one Boylan defender and slanted toward the goal, forcing Dolphin to rush out to diminish the angles available.
“Stephanie’s pass led me down the side and when I was able to cut toward the net, their goalie hand her hands up high so I aimed for the bottom right corner,” Gratz recounted. “We’ve played a lot of good teams and have more to come, but that challenge is why we play and what we work for. But I think today’s score better showed our effort and teamwork.”
Despite the fact its offense was virtually handcuffed, Boylan (7-6-1) did have several highlight-reel worthy saves by Dolphin to keep the door open. However, the outcome was pretty much sealed with 6:47 left in regulation.
Geneva's reserves made it a 3-0 margin when Caitlin Farrell notched her third goal thanks to Analise Spindle’s fourth assist of the campaign.
“Anna played a perfect ball to me for what could have been a blind shot,” Farrell said. “Sometimes I’ve used too much power, so it’s something I’ve specifically worked on in practice. This time I had the right placement and power to pay off with a goal.”
Geneva’s defense generally kept Boylan outside of the final third making for a much easier 80 minutes of work for Viking goalie Katie Montgomery.
“I do believe they struggled a little more than usual due to our backline,” Montgomery said before naming Jaden Ciesielski, Rachel Lawrence, Kristina Lockner and Amanda Rose. “They consistently kept them from having an effective attack. We were seeing the same things and when we’re on the same page by communicating, we can keep opponents from scoring and really take advantage of our forwards getting goals.”
While Boylan has handled all of its NIC-10 league foes to date, facing opponents outside of its conference has been a Titan-ic disappointment. A season-opening 1-1 tie at Palatine is the closest they've come to a win. The losses include Marian Central, DeKalb, Sycamore, United (East Moline), Evanston, St. Charles East, and now Geneva with a Naperville Invitational consolation finale versus Conant looming Saturday.
“We’ve been struggling especially because of injuries,” Boylan coach Taylor Meyers said. “We’ve had four players, who generally give us a lot of minutes, either out or limited, plus we’re tired and our play showed the fatigue.
“While it wasn’t our day, Geneva has a ton of speed and they possessed the ball quite well all match.”
That solid defense, ball possession and offensive punch will be needed by Geneva for the upcoming slate. After capping Naperville Invitational play against no. 6 Loyola, the Vikings have a Tuesday (May 1) UEC River home date with Larkin followed by matches against no. 9 Wheaton Warrenville South, no. 17 Burlington Central, and a rematch with no. 13 St. Charles East before they meet no. 23 Wheaton Academy.
Starting lineups
Boylan
GK: Morgan Dolphin
D: Mary Herra
D: Samantha Sheils
D: Leah Haney
D: Maria Hilby
M: Mackenzie Smith
M: Emily Szymanski
M: Brooke Parnello
M: Christina Colombi
F: Gwen Dannenberg
F: Rachael Hilby
Geneva
GK: Katie Montgomery
D: Jaden Ciesielski
D: Rachel Lawence
D: Kristina Lockner
D: Amanda Rose
M: Annie Brolly
M: Lauren Albrecht
M: Sydney Gratz
M: Stephanie Howe
F: Jenna Dominguez
F: Olivia Tegge
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sydney Gratz, jr., MF, Geneva, 3-0 win over Rockford Boylan (4-26-2018)
Referees: Dave Holbrook, Steve Jablow, Doug Neufeldt
Game summary
Geneva 3, Rockford Boylan 0
Boylan 0 0 --- 0 (7-6-1)
Geneva 1 2 --- 3 (8-5-2)
Scoring
First half
G --- Gratz dribble drive and attack from left cut back to center and shot inside left (Brolly assist), 2:44 gone
Second half
G --- Gratz right side rush breaking toward middle slotted inside near right post (Howe assist), 45:44 gone
G --- Farrell 15-yarder from middle off the left post (Spindle assist), 73:13 gone
Shot
B 1 – 1 --- 2
G 11 – 17 --- 28
Shots on goal
B 0 – 1 --- 1
G 6 – 11 --- 17
Saves (goalie)
B (Dolphin) 5 – 9 --- 14
G (Montgomery) 0 – 1 --- 1
Corner kicks
B 0 – 0 --- 0
G 2 – 3 --- 5
Offsides
B 0 – 0 --- 0
G 5 – 1 --- 6
Vikings end 3-game winless streak with 3-0 victory over Boylan
By Steve Nemeth
GENEVA -- Coach Megan Owens is convinced Geneva simply isn’t playing up to its potential.
That’s why the 10th-year skipper sounded less than enthusiastic after the Vikings, honorably mentioned in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 Poll, chalked up a 3-0 victory over Boylan in the consolation pool of the Naperville Invitational.
“It’s been a long season, and we’ve been through a tough stretch, so I’m proud they persevered even when not playing their best,” Owens said.
Considering it was the first win for the Vikings (8-5-2) in the last four outings one might expect a mix of satisfaction and relief, but a little background is needed.
With back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances and the majority of the roster back from posting the second-best record (21-2-1) and least number of losses in school history, Owens isn’t willing to lessen her expectations. Yes, the Vikings won St. Charles East’s 29th annual Augsburg-Drach Invitational title and sported a 7-3-1 standard prior to the Naperville Invitational’s opening round of group play.
In fairness to Geneva, all that previous success has put a target on the the Vikings collective back and recent bounces simply haven’ gone their way. Not to mention, a schedule that has been demanding and is only going to get tougher.
The initial trio of losses came courtesy of nationally ranked Missouri powerhouse Incarnate Ward, top-ranked St. Charles North in a 7-5 rain-soaked slugfest, and 1-0 loss to a Napervllle Central crew eager to negate a forfeit in the Augsburg-Drach event.
But then came back-to-back 3-2 losses in the Naperville Invitataional group play: the first based on a 6-5 shootout loss to Downers Grove South; and the other being a two-overtime setback to no. 20 Waubonsie Valley. Then came a 1-1 draw with no. 10 Batavia – a Tri-Cities and Upstate Eight Conference River Division rival.
Suddenly it’s easier to understand why Owens found it hard to be overjoyed with the latest triumph.
Plus the veteran coach knows the quality of play Geneva needs to deal with its remaining schedule that features five of six opponents which can be found ranked between No. 6 and 23 on this week’s Chicagoland Soccer poll. Like Friday’s (4-27) Naperville Invitational consolation pool assignment versus no. 6-rated Loyola.
While the Vikings produced their fifth shutout victory, game statistics verified why Owens thought her team could have/should have done better. Geneva owned a 28-2 advantage for overall shots, a 17-1 edge in shots on goal, a 5-0 tally for corner kicks, plus had to overcome eing whistled offsides on six occasions compared to zero for Boylan.
But the effort was there: with less than two minutes played, a Stephanie Howe shot required a save by Boylan goalie Morgan Dolphin; at 2:44 elapsed, Geneva led 1-0 based on fundamental principle taught in Soccer 101: set up an open teammate with a solid cross.
Freshman Annie Brolly chalked up her fourth assist of the season with a feed enabling Sydney Gratz to register the first of two goals that earned her Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match status.
“Both goals came straight from what we practice, namely quick one- or two-touch passing in order to shift the defense out of place,” Gratz explained. “Annie’s job was to find feet, and in this case, mine. I was able to pick a corner to aim for, and it felt good right away.”
“It really was an example of repetition from practice,” Brolly added. “In drills or scrimmage play, we work on finding the open player and playing it to her feet. I saw Sydney wide open and knew if I got it to her, she’d definitely score.”
Unfortunately for the Vikings, it wasn’t quite as easy rinse and repeat. While Geneva kept Dolphin under duress, the 1-0 margin remained the same to halftime. A variety of players had stellar chances to increase the lead but either shot wide or high, or were thwarted by the Titans’ keeper.
The close-but-no-goal sequence continued at the start of the second half until the 45:44 time-point. That’s when Howe tallied her third assist for the year by springing Gratz on a far side run. The Viking junior worked past one Boylan defender and slanted toward the goal, forcing Dolphin to rush out to diminish the angles available.
“Stephanie’s pass led me down the side and when I was able to cut toward the net, their goalie hand her hands up high so I aimed for the bottom right corner,” Gratz recounted. “We’ve played a lot of good teams and have more to come, but that challenge is why we play and what we work for. But I think today’s score better showed our effort and teamwork.”
Despite the fact its offense was virtually handcuffed, Boylan (7-6-1) did have several highlight-reel worthy saves by Dolphin to keep the door open. However, the outcome was pretty much sealed with 6:47 left in regulation.
Geneva's reserves made it a 3-0 margin when Caitlin Farrell notched her third goal thanks to Analise Spindle’s fourth assist of the campaign.
“Anna played a perfect ball to me for what could have been a blind shot,” Farrell said. “Sometimes I’ve used too much power, so it’s something I’ve specifically worked on in practice. This time I had the right placement and power to pay off with a goal.”
Geneva’s defense generally kept Boylan outside of the final third making for a much easier 80 minutes of work for Viking goalie Katie Montgomery.
“I do believe they struggled a little more than usual due to our backline,” Montgomery said before naming Jaden Ciesielski, Rachel Lawrence, Kristina Lockner and Amanda Rose. “They consistently kept them from having an effective attack. We were seeing the same things and when we’re on the same page by communicating, we can keep opponents from scoring and really take advantage of our forwards getting goals.”
While Boylan has handled all of its NIC-10 league foes to date, facing opponents outside of its conference has been a Titan-ic disappointment. A season-opening 1-1 tie at Palatine is the closest they've come to a win. The losses include Marian Central, DeKalb, Sycamore, United (East Moline), Evanston, St. Charles East, and now Geneva with a Naperville Invitational consolation finale versus Conant looming Saturday.
“We’ve been struggling especially because of injuries,” Boylan coach Taylor Meyers said. “We’ve had four players, who generally give us a lot of minutes, either out or limited, plus we’re tired and our play showed the fatigue.
“While it wasn’t our day, Geneva has a ton of speed and they possessed the ball quite well all match.”
That solid defense, ball possession and offensive punch will be needed by Geneva for the upcoming slate. After capping Naperville Invitational play against no. 6 Loyola, the Vikings have a Tuesday (May 1) UEC River home date with Larkin followed by matches against no. 9 Wheaton Warrenville South, no. 17 Burlington Central, and a rematch with no. 13 St. Charles East before they meet no. 23 Wheaton Academy.
Starting lineups
Boylan
GK: Morgan Dolphin
D: Mary Herra
D: Samantha Sheils
D: Leah Haney
D: Maria Hilby
M: Mackenzie Smith
M: Emily Szymanski
M: Brooke Parnello
M: Christina Colombi
F: Gwen Dannenberg
F: Rachael Hilby
Geneva
GK: Katie Montgomery
D: Jaden Ciesielski
D: Rachel Lawence
D: Kristina Lockner
D: Amanda Rose
M: Annie Brolly
M: Lauren Albrecht
M: Sydney Gratz
M: Stephanie Howe
F: Jenna Dominguez
F: Olivia Tegge
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Sydney Gratz, jr., MF, Geneva, 3-0 win over Rockford Boylan (4-26-2018)
Referees: Dave Holbrook, Steve Jablow, Doug Neufeldt
Game summary
Geneva 3, Rockford Boylan 0
Boylan 0 0 --- 0 (7-6-1)
Geneva 1 2 --- 3 (8-5-2)
Scoring
First half
G --- Gratz dribble drive and attack from left cut back to center and shot inside left (Brolly assist), 2:44 gone
Second half
G --- Gratz right side rush breaking toward middle slotted inside near right post (Howe assist), 45:44 gone
G --- Farrell 15-yarder from middle off the left post (Spindle assist), 73:13 gone
Shot
B 1 – 1 --- 2
G 11 – 17 --- 28
Shots on goal
B 0 – 1 --- 1
G 6 – 11 --- 17
Saves (goalie)
B (Dolphin) 5 – 9 --- 14
G (Montgomery) 0 – 1 --- 1
Corner kicks
B 0 – 0 --- 0
G 2 – 3 --- 5
Offsides
B 0 – 0 --- 0
G 5 – 1 --- 6