Geneva claims league opener vs. WWS
Vikings post 4-0 DuKane win with dominant 2nd half
By Steve Nemeth
GENEVA --- Newton’s third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That wasn’t evident during Tuesday’s DuKane Conference opener when Geneva welcomed Wheaton Warrenville South.
That conclusion is easy having witnessed how Geneva’s seemingly one-sided 4-0 victory unfolded.
The host Vikings (4-2-1, 1-0-0) could have been discouraged by how easily South’s Tigers (1-2-1, 0-1-0) nearly took a lead less than 10 minutes into the match. Instead it was Geneva gaining a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.
Trailing appeared to fuel South’s desires to start the second half but instead the Vikings added to their lead. Rather than having any complacency Geneva took the “2-0 is the most dangerous lead” theory to heart and fought to build the advantage.
Despite the deficit, the Tigers continued finding ways to move the ball and create chances, unfortunately they didn’t finish them.
“One thing I liked by Geneva is that when it was 3-0 they continued to put the foot on the gas to finish us off,” veteran South coach Guy Callipari said in admiration.
And despite the final outcome, both sides in the postgame were focused on the building process needed to achieve success.
South’s Nick McGrath had a breakaway chance and managed to stay upright and regain control of the ball following a collision with outrushing Geneva goalie Carl Parise. With an empty net ahead of him, the Tiger senior’s shot from 15 yards somehow spun just past the near right post. He held his head in disbelief while Viking head coach Jason Bhatta had to hold his tongue over the defensive miscues.
Ironically regardless the degree of difficulty, South shots would continue following that pattern while Geneva would gain its first shutout since a season-opening 3-0 whitewash of Marmion.
The Vikings claimed a 1-0 edge at 19:02 when Josh Eiss earned his initial assist setting up Matt Fuller for his second goal of the year. Fuller’s 16-yard strike eluded starting Tiger keeper Ramsey Khayel.
“Josh found me making an overlapping run and although his ball hit off a defender, I was able to gain control and then slotted it near post,” Fuller said. “It was just the kind of start we needed and wanted. Number one to bounce back from the last match and to get us to the front of the (DuKane) standings.”
That statement was additional evidence of how this Geneva team is aiming to erase the disappointment of last season. The Vikings didn’t gain their first and only previous DuKane win until their last league match. A plus that was dimmed by a 4-11-2 finish after the 14-seed Vikings were upset by an 18 seed in their postseason prelim match.
Geneva nearly doubled its advantage four minutes later when a short corner from Shun Yonehara was headed off the football crossbar by towering defender Stuart Turnbull. Wheaton South’s Paul Thalman had an unstoppable cannon blast that also went just wide.
The Vikings went up 2-0 just 5:17 after intermission thanks to Joe Carli’s 28-yard cracker from left of center which gave South second half goalie Marco Chavez no chance at a save.
“I saw Ethan (Hipp) in the open and when the defense reacted, he sent it right back to me for an opportunity to shoot,” Carli said deflecting praise for his shot’s impact. “Yeah we went up by two but they say 2-0 is the most dangerous lead. We did not want to have the tables turned on us.”
A South service into the box created a dangerous opportunity but Geneva made a defensive clear With 27:03 still remaining, the Tigers’ Sean Tully attacked from the left and launched a 14-yarder that Parise stopped. Just over a minute later at the other end, a Viking goal was nullified by an offsides whistle.
Chavez came up big for South with a tip save on a 25-yard rocket from Dominick Peri. However, the third Vikings goal followed shortly after that. A Peri corner kick ping-ponged among players out to the left side from where Christian Diaz parked it inside the far right post netting.
The last goal came with 8:04 still to play from a fourth different Viking; Peri’s 38-yard bomb sailed under the crossbar.
Bhatta’s reclamation of Geneva’s recent down years appeared ahead of schedule at the Best of the West when the Vikings stunned three-time defending state champion Naperville North 2-1. However, those Huskies recovered to claim a fifth-consecutive Best of the West crown gaining the finals spot after Geneva was humbled by Oswego 5-1.
“We certainly played well tonight like we did against (Naperville) North, but the problem is we’ve yet to get back-to-back wins,” Bhatta lamented. “Tonight we at least showed the drive to build on success.”
With senior goalie Osten Lockner currently sidelined since the initial shutout, Parise has been shouldering the load in net and having four different goal-scorers produced multiple candidates for the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. And yet there was only one clear-cut performance deserving of the accolade, the hustle of senior Ethan Hipp.
Listed as a midfielder-forward, he was more of an “anywhere but goal” player. Whether it was linking the defense’s passes upfield to other forwards, controlling and distributing from the middle, attacking from the wings, or even dropping back to help cut off passing lanes on defense, Hipp was everywhere.
“He really was all over the place,’ Bhatta agreed. “He brought so much energy to us in every phase and continued working hard throughout the match regardless of the score.”
His counterpart in that regard for Wheaton South was McGrath. Whether trying to break through the Viking defense or battling for balls in the air, the Tigers senior forward was a definite go-to player.
“We came in with confidence but still need to push forward even more. The lesson from today for us is to be more intense,” McGrath said. “We need to keep taking steps forward. If we’re scored on, fight back even harder. If we come up short, keep attacking and taking chances. There were at least three or four chances we should have put away, me included.”
Wheaton South began the year with McGrath and Ryan Duffy scoring in a 2-2 draw with Oswego before struggling offensively in a 2-0 loss to Schaumburg. It looked the Tigers were back on track with a 3-0 triumph over Indian Trail from Kenosha, Wis. Vargas scored one and Gabe Waszak had two in that match, however South fell short in producing an encore performance.
“Sometimes a game turns into a baptism by fire. You simply have to learn from experience early on, stay focused, put any disappointment behind you,” Callipari noted. “We kept the game in balance for the first half but simply didn’t finish some opportunities. Regardless of the outcome, you have to show resilience.”
South seeks a comeback on Saturday in its PepsiCo Showdown opener Saturday in Joliet. Geneva is back in action visiting Jacobs on Thursday before hosting Schaumburg on Saturday.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Ramsey Khayal
D Sam Schlegel
D Rolin Thang
D Jackson Moran
D Sean Tully
DM Paul Thalman
DM Kevin Stubris
DM Eric Vargas
OM Jack Cooper
OM Ryan Duffy
F Nick McGrath
Geneva
GK: Carl Parise
D Braeden McPheron
D Evan Horvath
D Stuart Turnbull
D Jack Cannon
M Christian Diaz
M Joe Carli
M Ethan Hipp
M Shun Yonehara
F Matt Fuller
F Ryan Leake
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ethan Hipp, Sr. M/F, Geneva
Referees: Jeff Ryder (center), Manny Mbende, Rauel Farfan
Game summary
Geneva 4, Wheaton Warrenville South 0
WW South 0 0 --- 0 (1-2-1/DuKane 0-1-0)
Geneva 1 1 --- 2 (4 -2-1/DuKane 1-0-0)
Scoring
First half
G --- Fuller 16-yard blast from left wing (Eiss assist), 19:02 gone
Second half
G --- Carli 28-yard cracker from left of center (unassisted), 49:17 gone
G --- Vargas 17-yarder from left inside far right post (unassisted), 59:38 gone
G --- Peri 36-yard missile under the crossbar (unassisted, 71:56 gone
Shots
WWS 5 – 8 --- 13
G 5 – 13 --- 18
Shots on goal
WWS 1 – 2 --- 3
G 2 – 8 --- 10
Saves (goalie)
WWS (Khayel 1) 1 – (Chavez 5) 5 --- 6
G (Parise) 1 – 2 --- 3
Corner kicks
WWS 0 – 1 --- 1
G 4 – 2 --- 6
Offsides
WWS 1 – 2 --- 3
G 1 – 1 --- 2
Vikings post 4-0 DuKane win with dominant 2nd half
By Steve Nemeth
GENEVA --- Newton’s third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That wasn’t evident during Tuesday’s DuKane Conference opener when Geneva welcomed Wheaton Warrenville South.
That conclusion is easy having witnessed how Geneva’s seemingly one-sided 4-0 victory unfolded.
The host Vikings (4-2-1, 1-0-0) could have been discouraged by how easily South’s Tigers (1-2-1, 0-1-0) nearly took a lead less than 10 minutes into the match. Instead it was Geneva gaining a 1-0 lead midway through the first half.
Trailing appeared to fuel South’s desires to start the second half but instead the Vikings added to their lead. Rather than having any complacency Geneva took the “2-0 is the most dangerous lead” theory to heart and fought to build the advantage.
Despite the deficit, the Tigers continued finding ways to move the ball and create chances, unfortunately they didn’t finish them.
“One thing I liked by Geneva is that when it was 3-0 they continued to put the foot on the gas to finish us off,” veteran South coach Guy Callipari said in admiration.
And despite the final outcome, both sides in the postgame were focused on the building process needed to achieve success.
South’s Nick McGrath had a breakaway chance and managed to stay upright and regain control of the ball following a collision with outrushing Geneva goalie Carl Parise. With an empty net ahead of him, the Tiger senior’s shot from 15 yards somehow spun just past the near right post. He held his head in disbelief while Viking head coach Jason Bhatta had to hold his tongue over the defensive miscues.
Ironically regardless the degree of difficulty, South shots would continue following that pattern while Geneva would gain its first shutout since a season-opening 3-0 whitewash of Marmion.
The Vikings claimed a 1-0 edge at 19:02 when Josh Eiss earned his initial assist setting up Matt Fuller for his second goal of the year. Fuller’s 16-yard strike eluded starting Tiger keeper Ramsey Khayel.
“Josh found me making an overlapping run and although his ball hit off a defender, I was able to gain control and then slotted it near post,” Fuller said. “It was just the kind of start we needed and wanted. Number one to bounce back from the last match and to get us to the front of the (DuKane) standings.”
That statement was additional evidence of how this Geneva team is aiming to erase the disappointment of last season. The Vikings didn’t gain their first and only previous DuKane win until their last league match. A plus that was dimmed by a 4-11-2 finish after the 14-seed Vikings were upset by an 18 seed in their postseason prelim match.
Geneva nearly doubled its advantage four minutes later when a short corner from Shun Yonehara was headed off the football crossbar by towering defender Stuart Turnbull. Wheaton South’s Paul Thalman had an unstoppable cannon blast that also went just wide.
The Vikings went up 2-0 just 5:17 after intermission thanks to Joe Carli’s 28-yard cracker from left of center which gave South second half goalie Marco Chavez no chance at a save.
“I saw Ethan (Hipp) in the open and when the defense reacted, he sent it right back to me for an opportunity to shoot,” Carli said deflecting praise for his shot’s impact. “Yeah we went up by two but they say 2-0 is the most dangerous lead. We did not want to have the tables turned on us.”
A South service into the box created a dangerous opportunity but Geneva made a defensive clear With 27:03 still remaining, the Tigers’ Sean Tully attacked from the left and launched a 14-yarder that Parise stopped. Just over a minute later at the other end, a Viking goal was nullified by an offsides whistle.
Chavez came up big for South with a tip save on a 25-yard rocket from Dominick Peri. However, the third Vikings goal followed shortly after that. A Peri corner kick ping-ponged among players out to the left side from where Christian Diaz parked it inside the far right post netting.
The last goal came with 8:04 still to play from a fourth different Viking; Peri’s 38-yard bomb sailed under the crossbar.
Bhatta’s reclamation of Geneva’s recent down years appeared ahead of schedule at the Best of the West when the Vikings stunned three-time defending state champion Naperville North 2-1. However, those Huskies recovered to claim a fifth-consecutive Best of the West crown gaining the finals spot after Geneva was humbled by Oswego 5-1.
“We certainly played well tonight like we did against (Naperville) North, but the problem is we’ve yet to get back-to-back wins,” Bhatta lamented. “Tonight we at least showed the drive to build on success.”
With senior goalie Osten Lockner currently sidelined since the initial shutout, Parise has been shouldering the load in net and having four different goal-scorers produced multiple candidates for the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match. And yet there was only one clear-cut performance deserving of the accolade, the hustle of senior Ethan Hipp.
Listed as a midfielder-forward, he was more of an “anywhere but goal” player. Whether it was linking the defense’s passes upfield to other forwards, controlling and distributing from the middle, attacking from the wings, or even dropping back to help cut off passing lanes on defense, Hipp was everywhere.
“He really was all over the place,’ Bhatta agreed. “He brought so much energy to us in every phase and continued working hard throughout the match regardless of the score.”
His counterpart in that regard for Wheaton South was McGrath. Whether trying to break through the Viking defense or battling for balls in the air, the Tigers senior forward was a definite go-to player.
“We came in with confidence but still need to push forward even more. The lesson from today for us is to be more intense,” McGrath said. “We need to keep taking steps forward. If we’re scored on, fight back even harder. If we come up short, keep attacking and taking chances. There were at least three or four chances we should have put away, me included.”
Wheaton South began the year with McGrath and Ryan Duffy scoring in a 2-2 draw with Oswego before struggling offensively in a 2-0 loss to Schaumburg. It looked the Tigers were back on track with a 3-0 triumph over Indian Trail from Kenosha, Wis. Vargas scored one and Gabe Waszak had two in that match, however South fell short in producing an encore performance.
“Sometimes a game turns into a baptism by fire. You simply have to learn from experience early on, stay focused, put any disappointment behind you,” Callipari noted. “We kept the game in balance for the first half but simply didn’t finish some opportunities. Regardless of the outcome, you have to show resilience.”
South seeks a comeback on Saturday in its PepsiCo Showdown opener Saturday in Joliet. Geneva is back in action visiting Jacobs on Thursday before hosting Schaumburg on Saturday.
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
GK Ramsey Khayal
D Sam Schlegel
D Rolin Thang
D Jackson Moran
D Sean Tully
DM Paul Thalman
DM Kevin Stubris
DM Eric Vargas
OM Jack Cooper
OM Ryan Duffy
F Nick McGrath
Geneva
GK: Carl Parise
D Braeden McPheron
D Evan Horvath
D Stuart Turnbull
D Jack Cannon
M Christian Diaz
M Joe Carli
M Ethan Hipp
M Shun Yonehara
F Matt Fuller
F Ryan Leake
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Ethan Hipp, Sr. M/F, Geneva
Referees: Jeff Ryder (center), Manny Mbende, Rauel Farfan
Game summary
Geneva 4, Wheaton Warrenville South 0
WW South 0 0 --- 0 (1-2-1/DuKane 0-1-0)
Geneva 1 1 --- 2 (4 -2-1/DuKane 1-0-0)
Scoring
First half
G --- Fuller 16-yard blast from left wing (Eiss assist), 19:02 gone
Second half
G --- Carli 28-yard cracker from left of center (unassisted), 49:17 gone
G --- Vargas 17-yarder from left inside far right post (unassisted), 59:38 gone
G --- Peri 36-yard missile under the crossbar (unassisted, 71:56 gone
Shots
WWS 5 – 8 --- 13
G 5 – 13 --- 18
Shots on goal
WWS 1 – 2 --- 3
G 2 – 8 --- 10
Saves (goalie)
WWS (Khayel 1) 1 – (Chavez 5) 5 --- 6
G (Parise) 1 – 2 --- 3
Corner kicks
WWS 0 – 1 --- 1
G 4 – 2 --- 6
Offsides
WWS 1 – 2 --- 3
G 1 – 1 --- 2