Geneva finds enough offense
to top Wheaton Warrenville South
Diaz scores 2x in 2nd half to keep Vikings in good league position
By Curt Herron
GENEVA -- When a team has only scored six goals in seven matches, there's apprehension about what will happen when they allow an early score and trail at halftime.
That was the situation facing Geneva on Tuesday when it hosted Wheaton Warrenville South in its first home DuKane Conference match. But thanks to the combination of seniors Christian Diaz and Aiden Leonard, the Vikings scored twice within a 4:26-span to rally for a 2-1 victory over the Tigers at Burgess Field.
Diaz, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, connected in both the 50th minute and the 55th minute following assists from Leonard while classmate Ryan Leake also had a hand in the eventual winning score. It's the second time that Geneva has scored twice in a match, the other was a 2-0 Best of the West tournament win over Oswego on September 4.
It was also the first victory in conference play for the Vikings (2-4-2, 1-0-1), who complete the week with a pair of nonconference matches, playing at no. 11 York on Thursday and hosting South Elgin on Saturday.
"It feels amazing", said Diaz, a co-captain who is already halfway to his goal total from the spring, when he had six. "Coming out with this win in our second conference game is big for us. It feels good not only for me, but the result helps the team. Now we're looking forward to the next few games. We have some momentum now.
"I think we're all very talented, but it just took us a while to realize that and to come out and put our all into this game and to take the win. We have a lot of quality on this team. Aiden didn't play in his high school career until his senior year, so it's awesome having him here."
Vikings coach Jason Bhatta was pleased to see his team put together several good scoring chances in the opening half and do the same after the break. The rally for a win was big in what figures to be a very competitive season in the DuKane Conference.
"After the first round of conference results, there were some surprises, which made it seem like this is up for grabs," Bhatta said. "So, we've started well by also getting a tie in our first game.
“We thought that we'd be in a different place at this point of the season, but we came back today and showed some heart. We've been playing pretty well in terms of our possession, but we give up some bad goals and that kind of happened today.
"We talked yesterday at practice about overcoming some adversity in a game and if we're scored on, what our response will be like. And we showed that maybe they listened to some of those words and took it to heart.
“After we gave up that goal, we still fought and fought and felt the momentum in the second half and came out and played and put them under pressure."
After several good opportunities in the first half but being, Geneva was unable to get the ball past Wheaton Warrenville South freshman keeper Jared Ferreya. The Vikings finally connected against second half keeper Owen Haas but not before he stopped a header by Diaz off of a corner kick from Grant Havertine, punched a liner from Leonard over the net and halted another try by Diaz.
Geneva got the equalizer in the 50th minute when Nick Plata sent a pass to Leonard, who found Diaz, who scored from close range. Then after Plata was denied on a good attempt, the hosts moved in front for good in the 55th minute when Leake and Leonard directed the ball once more to Diaz, and he connected for his second goal.
"In the past week we had a couple of tough results so we've been focusing on our mentality and knew that we had to come here at home, and we needed this win," Leonard said. "Everyone bought into that idea. We played aggressive and got our chance, and we made the most of it and Chris had a great finish.
"We have a tough conference and a lot of these teams are good and pretty much every team on our schedule is pretty good. I think we can be better since we have a lot of talent. If we demand perfection, then we can win games. We know how our forwards run and how we can finish and get goals by just making the most of our opportunities."
Geneva hoped to score again shortly after their second goal but an attempt by Zach Grossklag was cleared by Tigers defender Jerry Cuatzo. After that, Wheaton Warrenville South (3-3-2, 0-1-1) started to apply steady pressure, beginning with three-consecutive corner kicks from Gael Alfaro. The most dangerous one went to Nikhil Bawa, whose header was hauled in by Vikings keeper Hayden Vostal.
The Tigers continued to be active in the final dozen minutes: Gabe Waszak sought his second goal but sent one over the net; a throw-in from Jason Weisheit resulted in a header by Alfaro that was corralled by Vostal: and then a free kick from Patrick Brocious bounced around in front of the net but the Tigers were unable to capitalize as defender Clayton Williams played the role of a disruptor.
"After that first goal, we couldn't put our heads down, we knew that we had to work back," Vikings senior defender and co-captain Braeden McPheron said. "That's basically been our story this whole time that we have to work back if we give up a stupid goal. We have to keep our minds in it and just not let that happen again.
"At the end it was especially scary when Clayton put his body on the line to save that goal, but he did what he had to do, and it kept us in the lead and gave us a win. It was a great atmosphere. We hadn't had a home win yet but the crowd was behind us and that was a great aspect.
“I like our determination. We do have some lapses, but we try to get back up. In practices we go hard all of the time, and the problem we've had is translating that into games. Once we get that, it will be scary."
Wheaton Warrenville South capitalized on the first good scoring opportunity of the match in the fourth minute. Junior Chase Kedzior sent a pass in front of the net, and senior Waszak was there to deliver with a short shot.
The Tigers, who play at Kaneland on Thursday, had some of its best scoring chances late in the opening half and then again toward the conclusion of the game.
"It was a great first half," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "We had a lot of possession, were moving the ball through the middle third and finding people out wide in isolation and with service across. We had more shots in the second half than we did in the first half, but we had a lot of the possession, and I'd rather have a lot of possession.
"We knew that they were going to be very athletic and do things off the ball very well and come off the back shoulder and surprise you, which they did. That's how they got a couple of goals. Also just being patient and timing your runs, and they had some good service across the face of the goal.
"But we gave up the middle of the field and weren't courageous enough or willing enough to win the 50/50s, and they were. They took the momentum, and we didn't get it back. It's just about learning how to manage a game and understanding pressure and how to release it and how to maybe gain momentum back."
Geneva applied pressure to Ferreya, but he deflected attempts from Plata and Liam O'Donoghue and hauled in a header from Nathan Branstad.
The visitors looked to add to their lead in the final minutes as Alfaro and Brocious both sent in long free kicks that were hauled in.
Wheaton Warrenville South's freshman keeper Ferreya is growing with each game.
"There's some pressure on me, since I'm the young one, so I just keep working super hard," he said. "When the opposing team has their chances, I have to do my stuff and do what's best for the team. I like to control the defense and to get them in position. I want them to stay focused, not be distracted and always be on their 'A' game.
"I really like the team bonding, we're really like a small family which gives us better chemistry. And throughout the season, we'll build on the chemistry in order to get better."
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
G Jared Ferreya
D Patrick Brocious
D Jerry Cuatzo
D Andrew Walker
D Nikhil Bawa
M Chase Kedzior
M Gabe Waszak
M Edgar Guzman
M Gael Alfaro
F Jason Weisheit
F Marco Gonzalez
Geneva
G Hayden Vostal
D Braeden McPheron
D Grant Havertine
D Colin Hasty
D Luke Easter
M Nathan Branstad
M Nick Plata
M Liam O'Donoghue
M Aiden Leonard
F Christian Diaz
F Ryan Leake
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Christian Diaz, sr., F, Geneva
Scoring summary
First half
WWS: Waszak (Kedzior), 4th minute
Second half
G: Diaz (Leonard), 50th minute
G: Diaz (Leonard), 55th minute
to top Wheaton Warrenville South
Diaz scores 2x in 2nd half to keep Vikings in good league position
By Curt Herron
GENEVA -- When a team has only scored six goals in seven matches, there's apprehension about what will happen when they allow an early score and trail at halftime.
That was the situation facing Geneva on Tuesday when it hosted Wheaton Warrenville South in its first home DuKane Conference match. But thanks to the combination of seniors Christian Diaz and Aiden Leonard, the Vikings scored twice within a 4:26-span to rally for a 2-1 victory over the Tigers at Burgess Field.
Diaz, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, connected in both the 50th minute and the 55th minute following assists from Leonard while classmate Ryan Leake also had a hand in the eventual winning score. It's the second time that Geneva has scored twice in a match, the other was a 2-0 Best of the West tournament win over Oswego on September 4.
It was also the first victory in conference play for the Vikings (2-4-2, 1-0-1), who complete the week with a pair of nonconference matches, playing at no. 11 York on Thursday and hosting South Elgin on Saturday.
"It feels amazing", said Diaz, a co-captain who is already halfway to his goal total from the spring, when he had six. "Coming out with this win in our second conference game is big for us. It feels good not only for me, but the result helps the team. Now we're looking forward to the next few games. We have some momentum now.
"I think we're all very talented, but it just took us a while to realize that and to come out and put our all into this game and to take the win. We have a lot of quality on this team. Aiden didn't play in his high school career until his senior year, so it's awesome having him here."
Vikings coach Jason Bhatta was pleased to see his team put together several good scoring chances in the opening half and do the same after the break. The rally for a win was big in what figures to be a very competitive season in the DuKane Conference.
"After the first round of conference results, there were some surprises, which made it seem like this is up for grabs," Bhatta said. "So, we've started well by also getting a tie in our first game.
“We thought that we'd be in a different place at this point of the season, but we came back today and showed some heart. We've been playing pretty well in terms of our possession, but we give up some bad goals and that kind of happened today.
"We talked yesterday at practice about overcoming some adversity in a game and if we're scored on, what our response will be like. And we showed that maybe they listened to some of those words and took it to heart.
“After we gave up that goal, we still fought and fought and felt the momentum in the second half and came out and played and put them under pressure."
After several good opportunities in the first half but being, Geneva was unable to get the ball past Wheaton Warrenville South freshman keeper Jared Ferreya. The Vikings finally connected against second half keeper Owen Haas but not before he stopped a header by Diaz off of a corner kick from Grant Havertine, punched a liner from Leonard over the net and halted another try by Diaz.
Geneva got the equalizer in the 50th minute when Nick Plata sent a pass to Leonard, who found Diaz, who scored from close range. Then after Plata was denied on a good attempt, the hosts moved in front for good in the 55th minute when Leake and Leonard directed the ball once more to Diaz, and he connected for his second goal.
"In the past week we had a couple of tough results so we've been focusing on our mentality and knew that we had to come here at home, and we needed this win," Leonard said. "Everyone bought into that idea. We played aggressive and got our chance, and we made the most of it and Chris had a great finish.
"We have a tough conference and a lot of these teams are good and pretty much every team on our schedule is pretty good. I think we can be better since we have a lot of talent. If we demand perfection, then we can win games. We know how our forwards run and how we can finish and get goals by just making the most of our opportunities."
Geneva hoped to score again shortly after their second goal but an attempt by Zach Grossklag was cleared by Tigers defender Jerry Cuatzo. After that, Wheaton Warrenville South (3-3-2, 0-1-1) started to apply steady pressure, beginning with three-consecutive corner kicks from Gael Alfaro. The most dangerous one went to Nikhil Bawa, whose header was hauled in by Vikings keeper Hayden Vostal.
The Tigers continued to be active in the final dozen minutes: Gabe Waszak sought his second goal but sent one over the net; a throw-in from Jason Weisheit resulted in a header by Alfaro that was corralled by Vostal: and then a free kick from Patrick Brocious bounced around in front of the net but the Tigers were unable to capitalize as defender Clayton Williams played the role of a disruptor.
"After that first goal, we couldn't put our heads down, we knew that we had to work back," Vikings senior defender and co-captain Braeden McPheron said. "That's basically been our story this whole time that we have to work back if we give up a stupid goal. We have to keep our minds in it and just not let that happen again.
"At the end it was especially scary when Clayton put his body on the line to save that goal, but he did what he had to do, and it kept us in the lead and gave us a win. It was a great atmosphere. We hadn't had a home win yet but the crowd was behind us and that was a great aspect.
“I like our determination. We do have some lapses, but we try to get back up. In practices we go hard all of the time, and the problem we've had is translating that into games. Once we get that, it will be scary."
Wheaton Warrenville South capitalized on the first good scoring opportunity of the match in the fourth minute. Junior Chase Kedzior sent a pass in front of the net, and senior Waszak was there to deliver with a short shot.
The Tigers, who play at Kaneland on Thursday, had some of its best scoring chances late in the opening half and then again toward the conclusion of the game.
"It was a great first half," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "We had a lot of possession, were moving the ball through the middle third and finding people out wide in isolation and with service across. We had more shots in the second half than we did in the first half, but we had a lot of the possession, and I'd rather have a lot of possession.
"We knew that they were going to be very athletic and do things off the ball very well and come off the back shoulder and surprise you, which they did. That's how they got a couple of goals. Also just being patient and timing your runs, and they had some good service across the face of the goal.
"But we gave up the middle of the field and weren't courageous enough or willing enough to win the 50/50s, and they were. They took the momentum, and we didn't get it back. It's just about learning how to manage a game and understanding pressure and how to release it and how to maybe gain momentum back."
Geneva applied pressure to Ferreya, but he deflected attempts from Plata and Liam O'Donoghue and hauled in a header from Nathan Branstad.
The visitors looked to add to their lead in the final minutes as Alfaro and Brocious both sent in long free kicks that were hauled in.
Wheaton Warrenville South's freshman keeper Ferreya is growing with each game.
"There's some pressure on me, since I'm the young one, so I just keep working super hard," he said. "When the opposing team has their chances, I have to do my stuff and do what's best for the team. I like to control the defense and to get them in position. I want them to stay focused, not be distracted and always be on their 'A' game.
"I really like the team bonding, we're really like a small family which gives us better chemistry. And throughout the season, we'll build on the chemistry in order to get better."
Starting lineups
Wheaton Warrenville South
G Jared Ferreya
D Patrick Brocious
D Jerry Cuatzo
D Andrew Walker
D Nikhil Bawa
M Chase Kedzior
M Gabe Waszak
M Edgar Guzman
M Gael Alfaro
F Jason Weisheit
F Marco Gonzalez
Geneva
G Hayden Vostal
D Braeden McPheron
D Grant Havertine
D Colin Hasty
D Luke Easter
M Nathan Branstad
M Nick Plata
M Liam O'Donoghue
M Aiden Leonard
F Christian Diaz
F Ryan Leake
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Christian Diaz, sr., F, Geneva
Scoring summary
First half
WWS: Waszak (Kedzior), 4th minute
Second half
G: Diaz (Leonard), 50th minute
G: Diaz (Leonard), 55th minute