Geneva edges Wheaton North,
captures 4th-straight win
Sophomores lead way in prequel to regional opener
By Curt Herron
WHEATON -- When a team is outscored 29-9 in its first 12 matches, it's usually a pretty safe bet that they won't be much of a factor in either conference or postseason play.
But after collecting 14 goals while giving up just one during its last four matches, Geneva is definitely proving that it's not how well you start but how well you finish.
The Vikings have enjoyed a dramatic transformation after coach Jason Bhatta started going with three players along the backline. Following a 2-7-3 start, they have now won four in a row after capturing a 1-0 DuKane Conference road victory over Wheaton North on Tuesday at Jim Rexilius Field.
After beating Bartlett, Batavia and East Aurora by a 13-1 margin since September 25 (the lone goal allowed came on a PK) Geneva (6-7-3, 3-1-2) was in for a different type of match. Wheaton North had many more good-scoring opportunities but were unable to get the ball past goalkeeper Hayden Vostal.
The sophomore keeper, with senior Braeden McPheron and juniors Luke Easter and Grant Havertine playing directly in front of him for most of the match, stymied Wheaton North (8-5-4, 1-3-2). The teams will meet again October 19 when they meet in the Class 3A Geneva Regional semifinals.
Following three-decisive victories, the Geneva keeper was understandably pleased to see his team emerge with a hard-fought, one-goal triumph over the Falcons, who have allowed just 11 goals in 17 matches behind their senior keeper Sam Wakeman.
"We've been playing really well and are on a four-game win streak," said Vostal, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. "We're so much happier than we were earlier in the season. We're defending a lot better and communicating. And a lot of props to my backline, they're really strong.
"I feel like we work really hard from the backline all the way up-front. We're mentally engaged and focused and always communicating. But the most important thing is our work-rate. Even if we're not the most talented team, we constantly work and put teams under pressure."
If the keeper's last name seems familiar, there is another reason besides his play. His mother is Ruth Vostal, who coached St. Charles North's girls program to 252 wins in the program's first 15 seasons. During that span, the North Stars produced two state runnerup teams and another that took third. She was the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2013 and a National High School Athletic Coaches Association finalist for Coach of the Year honors in 2014.
Another Geneva sophomore, Trent Giansanti, continued his recent scoring success by getting his sixth goal of the four-match win streak. Senior Ryan Leake earned the assist when he sent a pass in front of the net in the 52nd minute. Giansanti fired a shot that bounced off the crossbar and fell into the net for the lone score of the match.
The Vikings, who are in second place behind St. Charles East in the DuKane Conference with a 3-1-2 record, play at DeKalb on Thursday, host Huntley on Saturday and then close league and regular-season play on Oct. 12 at home against Lake Park.
Geneva is the 11th-seed in the Addison Trail Sectional. Wheaton North is seeded sixth. The pair will meet in the nightcap after third-seed Addison Trail meets Bartlett in the regional opener at 5 p.m. Oct. 19. The Geneva Regional title game will be played at 3 p.m. Oct. 23.
"It's four games now where we've gotten a win, and we're turning the season around a little bit," Vikings coach Jason Bhatta said. "We're definitely more defensively solid, and Hayden and the backline have been playing well. We're peaking at the right moment.
"We knew that they would probably get some chances, but hoped they couldn't put any away. We probably should have had two, but we're happy with the one. Trent worked hard to get his goal and good work on the outside by Ryan to get the assist. It was nice to see what they (Wheaton North) have, because we'll see them again in a couple of weeks."
The Falcons had a decisive advantage in good chances in the first half, but Geneva began to threaten more following the break. Prior to the goal, Wheaton North received good attempts from Kevin Ramirez, Ethan Martinez and Diego Molina-Soberanis. The Vikings countered with threatening tries from McPheron and Bill Grossklag.
"It feels so good," Grossklag said. "At the start I feel like we had that determination but just couldn't score. Once we swapped to that three-back, we just push up so much. With the three backs, we technically have five back since we play our wing backs more defensively, so they can't score as much.
"Because of that, we've only had one goal against and 13 goals, which I really like a lot. I love our determination. We came off such a bad start and now we've been winning games, and we haven't lost any hope, which I love."
The Vikings looked like they might quickly add to their lead when Zach Grossklag got free, but he sent a shot wide before Clayton Williams was denied by Wakeman. Wheaton North responded with a liner from Diego Evangelista that was headed away by Easter; then Molina-Soberanis was thwarted before Nathan Branstad countered with a good try for the visitors.
"It obviously feels good to win our last four games in a row," Easter said. "Our 6-0 win over Bartlett kind of propelled us forward and then just switching to the three in the back has really helped us to get more attacking power up-top.
"We had a little bit of a shaky start before we got the hang of it. We kind of switched in the second half where instead of me being like a sweeper, I man-marked. I'm glad that we've kind of gotten everything straight and are working well as a team. I really like how our mentality has improved a lot over the past few weeks. We're just getting more confident on the ball and practicing a lot better than we had been."
During the final 15 minutes, Wheaton North had several good chances but Max Riccelli and Evangelista both put tries just over the net. Geneva's McPheron deflected shots from Riccelli and Axel Leon before Carter Evans lined a late corner kick to Vostal.
"In these next two weeks, we're definitely going to be looking and working toward that game, especially since this loss puts more of a chip on our backs," Riccelli said.
"In the last few weeks we've had some tough results, but we make sure to trust all of our guys no matter what the situation is or who we're playing. When we go down by a goal, we don't put our heads down. We keep working on defense and no matter what, we're always trying to find that goal. We're never giving up."
The Falcons have a week off before playing their final conference match on the road against league-leader St. Charles East on Oct. 12. Two days later hey close out regular-season play with a home match against Leyden.
"We're going to be ready for that," Martinez said. "We have two weeks, with a long week of practice this week. I feel like we've improved our ability in the air, and I feel like we're a more complete team.
"We've really grown together, and we have a very strong connection with each other. There's not one individual who takes charge on the field, we're all playing for each other. We all have really good chemistry and we really enjoy each other's presence."
In the opening half, the Falcons received good attempts from Tim Dulzer, J.J. Lee, Kyle Komro, Noah Froebe, Robbie Larsen, Riccelli and Evans. Some of Geneva's best chances came from Aiden Leonard, Christan Diaz and McPheron.
"It was a good game, and we know that it will be another good game in a couple of weeks," Falcons assistant coach Joe Klingelhoffer said. "We feel that even
though we didn't put a goal in tonight that we can come out on the other side in a few weeks.
"Our guys work hard, they pass well and run off the ball. They're doing everything that we ask of them. You wish that you could get a goal for them, but they're going to put that together.
"Our whole defensive line has really been putting together some streaks of shutouts and low-scoring games, the likes the which that I've never seen before at the varsity level. We have a lot of really strong defenders with a lot guys rotating in, and Sam has played really great in every single game. He's totally dependable and awesome and saved us a lot of times."
Starting lineups
Geneva
G Hayden Vostal
D Braeden McPheron
D Grant Havertine
D Luke Easter
M Clayton Williams
M Nathan Branstad
M Ryan Leake
M Bill Grossklag
M Aiden Leonard
F Christian Diaz
F Trent Giansanti
Wheaton North
G Sam Wakeman
D Caleb Hodel
D Kevin Ramirez
D Noah Froebe
D Peter Tiesman
M Diego Evangelista
M Tim Dulzer
M Max Riccelli
F Axel Leon
F Ethan Martinez
F Diego Molina-Soberanis
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Hayden Vostal, so., GK, Geneva
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
G - Giansanti (Leake), 52nd minute
captures 4th-straight win
Sophomores lead way in prequel to regional opener
By Curt Herron
WHEATON -- When a team is outscored 29-9 in its first 12 matches, it's usually a pretty safe bet that they won't be much of a factor in either conference or postseason play.
But after collecting 14 goals while giving up just one during its last four matches, Geneva is definitely proving that it's not how well you start but how well you finish.
The Vikings have enjoyed a dramatic transformation after coach Jason Bhatta started going with three players along the backline. Following a 2-7-3 start, they have now won four in a row after capturing a 1-0 DuKane Conference road victory over Wheaton North on Tuesday at Jim Rexilius Field.
After beating Bartlett, Batavia and East Aurora by a 13-1 margin since September 25 (the lone goal allowed came on a PK) Geneva (6-7-3, 3-1-2) was in for a different type of match. Wheaton North had many more good-scoring opportunities but were unable to get the ball past goalkeeper Hayden Vostal.
The sophomore keeper, with senior Braeden McPheron and juniors Luke Easter and Grant Havertine playing directly in front of him for most of the match, stymied Wheaton North (8-5-4, 1-3-2). The teams will meet again October 19 when they meet in the Class 3A Geneva Regional semifinals.
Following three-decisive victories, the Geneva keeper was understandably pleased to see his team emerge with a hard-fought, one-goal triumph over the Falcons, who have allowed just 11 goals in 17 matches behind their senior keeper Sam Wakeman.
"We've been playing really well and are on a four-game win streak," said Vostal, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. "We're so much happier than we were earlier in the season. We're defending a lot better and communicating. And a lot of props to my backline, they're really strong.
"I feel like we work really hard from the backline all the way up-front. We're mentally engaged and focused and always communicating. But the most important thing is our work-rate. Even if we're not the most talented team, we constantly work and put teams under pressure."
If the keeper's last name seems familiar, there is another reason besides his play. His mother is Ruth Vostal, who coached St. Charles North's girls program to 252 wins in the program's first 15 seasons. During that span, the North Stars produced two state runnerup teams and another that took third. She was the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2013 and a National High School Athletic Coaches Association finalist for Coach of the Year honors in 2014.
Another Geneva sophomore, Trent Giansanti, continued his recent scoring success by getting his sixth goal of the four-match win streak. Senior Ryan Leake earned the assist when he sent a pass in front of the net in the 52nd minute. Giansanti fired a shot that bounced off the crossbar and fell into the net for the lone score of the match.
The Vikings, who are in second place behind St. Charles East in the DuKane Conference with a 3-1-2 record, play at DeKalb on Thursday, host Huntley on Saturday and then close league and regular-season play on Oct. 12 at home against Lake Park.
Geneva is the 11th-seed in the Addison Trail Sectional. Wheaton North is seeded sixth. The pair will meet in the nightcap after third-seed Addison Trail meets Bartlett in the regional opener at 5 p.m. Oct. 19. The Geneva Regional title game will be played at 3 p.m. Oct. 23.
"It's four games now where we've gotten a win, and we're turning the season around a little bit," Vikings coach Jason Bhatta said. "We're definitely more defensively solid, and Hayden and the backline have been playing well. We're peaking at the right moment.
"We knew that they would probably get some chances, but hoped they couldn't put any away. We probably should have had two, but we're happy with the one. Trent worked hard to get his goal and good work on the outside by Ryan to get the assist. It was nice to see what they (Wheaton North) have, because we'll see them again in a couple of weeks."
The Falcons had a decisive advantage in good chances in the first half, but Geneva began to threaten more following the break. Prior to the goal, Wheaton North received good attempts from Kevin Ramirez, Ethan Martinez and Diego Molina-Soberanis. The Vikings countered with threatening tries from McPheron and Bill Grossklag.
"It feels so good," Grossklag said. "At the start I feel like we had that determination but just couldn't score. Once we swapped to that three-back, we just push up so much. With the three backs, we technically have five back since we play our wing backs more defensively, so they can't score as much.
"Because of that, we've only had one goal against and 13 goals, which I really like a lot. I love our determination. We came off such a bad start and now we've been winning games, and we haven't lost any hope, which I love."
The Vikings looked like they might quickly add to their lead when Zach Grossklag got free, but he sent a shot wide before Clayton Williams was denied by Wakeman. Wheaton North responded with a liner from Diego Evangelista that was headed away by Easter; then Molina-Soberanis was thwarted before Nathan Branstad countered with a good try for the visitors.
"It obviously feels good to win our last four games in a row," Easter said. "Our 6-0 win over Bartlett kind of propelled us forward and then just switching to the three in the back has really helped us to get more attacking power up-top.
"We had a little bit of a shaky start before we got the hang of it. We kind of switched in the second half where instead of me being like a sweeper, I man-marked. I'm glad that we've kind of gotten everything straight and are working well as a team. I really like how our mentality has improved a lot over the past few weeks. We're just getting more confident on the ball and practicing a lot better than we had been."
During the final 15 minutes, Wheaton North had several good chances but Max Riccelli and Evangelista both put tries just over the net. Geneva's McPheron deflected shots from Riccelli and Axel Leon before Carter Evans lined a late corner kick to Vostal.
"In these next two weeks, we're definitely going to be looking and working toward that game, especially since this loss puts more of a chip on our backs," Riccelli said.
"In the last few weeks we've had some tough results, but we make sure to trust all of our guys no matter what the situation is or who we're playing. When we go down by a goal, we don't put our heads down. We keep working on defense and no matter what, we're always trying to find that goal. We're never giving up."
The Falcons have a week off before playing their final conference match on the road against league-leader St. Charles East on Oct. 12. Two days later hey close out regular-season play with a home match against Leyden.
"We're going to be ready for that," Martinez said. "We have two weeks, with a long week of practice this week. I feel like we've improved our ability in the air, and I feel like we're a more complete team.
"We've really grown together, and we have a very strong connection with each other. There's not one individual who takes charge on the field, we're all playing for each other. We all have really good chemistry and we really enjoy each other's presence."
In the opening half, the Falcons received good attempts from Tim Dulzer, J.J. Lee, Kyle Komro, Noah Froebe, Robbie Larsen, Riccelli and Evans. Some of Geneva's best chances came from Aiden Leonard, Christan Diaz and McPheron.
"It was a good game, and we know that it will be another good game in a couple of weeks," Falcons assistant coach Joe Klingelhoffer said. "We feel that even
though we didn't put a goal in tonight that we can come out on the other side in a few weeks.
"Our guys work hard, they pass well and run off the ball. They're doing everything that we ask of them. You wish that you could get a goal for them, but they're going to put that together.
"Our whole defensive line has really been putting together some streaks of shutouts and low-scoring games, the likes the which that I've never seen before at the varsity level. We have a lot of really strong defenders with a lot guys rotating in, and Sam has played really great in every single game. He's totally dependable and awesome and saved us a lot of times."
Starting lineups
Geneva
G Hayden Vostal
D Braeden McPheron
D Grant Havertine
D Luke Easter
M Clayton Williams
M Nathan Branstad
M Ryan Leake
M Bill Grossklag
M Aiden Leonard
F Christian Diaz
F Trent Giansanti
Wheaton North
G Sam Wakeman
D Caleb Hodel
D Kevin Ramirez
D Noah Froebe
D Peter Tiesman
M Diego Evangelista
M Tim Dulzer
M Max Riccelli
F Axel Leon
F Ethan Martinez
F Diego Molina-Soberanis
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Hayden Vostal, so., GK, Geneva
Scoring summary
First half
No scoring
Second half
G - Giansanti (Leake), 52nd minute