Geneva, Wheaton Warrenville South
primed for DuKane Conference clash
By Curt Herron
A year ago, Geneva finished in second place in the DuKane Conference behind champion St. Charles East, while Wheaton Warrenville South tied for third place with St. Charles North.
When the two teams meet in their second DuKane Conference match of the season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Wheaton, they hope to use the matchup as a catalyst to surpass last season's league success.
The squads opened conference play Sept. 6: Geneva settled for a 1-1 draw with Glenbard North; Wheaton Warrenville South dropped a 4-0 decision at St. Charles North.
Currently, two DuKane Conference teams reside in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: St. Charles East at no. 18; and St. Charles North at no. 22, but others figure in the league table.
Lake Park signaled it is a contender. The Lancers led defending Class 3A champion York late, but surrendered a late goal and settled for a 2-2 draw in its Hillner Classic on Sept. 3. York ascended to the top of the Top 25 this week.
Wheaton North can't be taken lightly. The Falcons own a Hillner win over Lake Park and beat Batavia in their conference opener.
Geneva stands at 3-1-5 for coach Jason Bhatta. The Vikings opened the season with wins over Marmion and Maine West with a combined 5-0 goal differential.
Then they went through a stretch that few teams experience: a run of five-consecutive draws. The Vikings got a goal in matches with Hersey and Glenbard North but weren't able to score against Addison Trail, Fenton or Proviso West. The stretch included a tie for third place in the Joe Novy Classic at Addison Trail.
Geneva ended the run of stalemates with a 7-0 victory over Kaneland on Thursday before suffering its first loss on Saturday. The 3-2 defeat to now 21st-ranked West Aurora snapped the Vikings season-opening, eight-match undefeated streak.
"We've been solid this year with six shutouts in our first nine games, but have difficulty scoring which shows in our five ties on the year and our record of 3-1-5," Bhatta said. "Our only loss so far is to a good West Aurora team, but we've seen encouraging signs of being more dangerous in front of goal after putting seven past Kaneland and scoring two against West Aurora.
"We're looking forward to the challenge that we always find in DuKane Conference games and hope to continue our strong start to the year with a win. "
The Vikings return 11 players from last season's 9-8-5 squad that won a regional title. The senior class returnees are midfielders Gabe Boivin and Nathan Branstad; defenders Luke Easter, Colin Hasty, Grant Havertine, Ryan Marquardt, Bennett Nippert and goalkeeper Matt Towler. The junior veterans are forward Trent Giansanti, and midfielders Liam O'Donoghue and Nic Plata. Branstad and Havertine are captains.
"Matt Towler has six shutouts as goalkeeper and Trent Giansanti has six goals and one assist. Colin Hasty has three goals, and Nathan Branstad has three assists," Bhatta said. "Liam O'Donoghue has been struggling with injury but really dictates our game play from the holding-mid position and has been getting back to health. I'm excited to see him perform more and more."
The 2022 campaign started well for Wheaton Warrenville South and coach Guy Callipari with a 2-0-2 mark. The Tigers beat Glenbard West 2-0 in their opener and cruised past Schaumburg 5-0. The ties came against Oswego (2-2) and Willowbrook (1-1).
However, Wheaton Warrenville South has dropped its last four matches, falling 3-1 to Glenbard East before the 4-0 loss to St. Charles North in its DuKane Conference opener Sept. 6. This past weekend, the Tigers fell on penalties to Solorio (1-1, 4-2) and 2-0 to Lincoln-Way Central in the BodyArmor event.
Callipari, an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Famer, is one of three current IHSA coaches with more than 400 girls wins and more than 300 boys victories. He realizes that this is a critical time for his Tigers.
"This game is a turning point for us both in conference play and overall record on the year," Callipari said. "It will serve as an optic to who we are as a team and the possibilities going forward. We are just trying to get people healthy and a lineup that is consistent and capable of competing in the DuKane Conference."
The coach, who has led the program since 1991, has 10 players back from a squad that went 8-8-3 a year ago.
The returning seniors are midfielders Gael Alfaro, Nikhil Bawa and Chase Kedzior, defenders Jerry Cuatzo and Tim Foley, and forwards Marco Gonzalez and Issa Husseini. The junior class is represented by midfielder Edgar Guzman. Sophomores defender Aaron Escareno and goalkeeper Jared Ferreyra are in their second year of varsity play. The team captains are Alfaro, Cuatzo, Gonzalez and Kedzior.
"Captain Chase Kedzior needs to assert himself in the final third, and goal-scorers like seniors Gael Alfaro and Issa Huseinni need to find a rhythm of play that can threaten and create opportunities with regularity," Callipari said.
"Our young players like Jet Oehlrlein and freshman Semin Razman have the ability to contribute and only need experience to compete at the speed of play with confidence. Our backline has made a few mistakes, but there's room for improvement. Much can be solved in communicating with each other and moving into transition cleanly and quickly."
When the teams met last season on September 14 in Geneva, the Tigers grabbed an early lead but the Vikings rallied with goals in the final half to capture a 2-1 win.
primed for DuKane Conference clash
By Curt Herron
A year ago, Geneva finished in second place in the DuKane Conference behind champion St. Charles East, while Wheaton Warrenville South tied for third place with St. Charles North.
When the two teams meet in their second DuKane Conference match of the season at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Wheaton, they hope to use the matchup as a catalyst to surpass last season's league success.
The squads opened conference play Sept. 6: Geneva settled for a 1-1 draw with Glenbard North; Wheaton Warrenville South dropped a 4-0 decision at St. Charles North.
Currently, two DuKane Conference teams reside in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25: St. Charles East at no. 18; and St. Charles North at no. 22, but others figure in the league table.
Lake Park signaled it is a contender. The Lancers led defending Class 3A champion York late, but surrendered a late goal and settled for a 2-2 draw in its Hillner Classic on Sept. 3. York ascended to the top of the Top 25 this week.
Wheaton North can't be taken lightly. The Falcons own a Hillner win over Lake Park and beat Batavia in their conference opener.
Geneva stands at 3-1-5 for coach Jason Bhatta. The Vikings opened the season with wins over Marmion and Maine West with a combined 5-0 goal differential.
Then they went through a stretch that few teams experience: a run of five-consecutive draws. The Vikings got a goal in matches with Hersey and Glenbard North but weren't able to score against Addison Trail, Fenton or Proviso West. The stretch included a tie for third place in the Joe Novy Classic at Addison Trail.
Geneva ended the run of stalemates with a 7-0 victory over Kaneland on Thursday before suffering its first loss on Saturday. The 3-2 defeat to now 21st-ranked West Aurora snapped the Vikings season-opening, eight-match undefeated streak.
"We've been solid this year with six shutouts in our first nine games, but have difficulty scoring which shows in our five ties on the year and our record of 3-1-5," Bhatta said. "Our only loss so far is to a good West Aurora team, but we've seen encouraging signs of being more dangerous in front of goal after putting seven past Kaneland and scoring two against West Aurora.
"We're looking forward to the challenge that we always find in DuKane Conference games and hope to continue our strong start to the year with a win. "
The Vikings return 11 players from last season's 9-8-5 squad that won a regional title. The senior class returnees are midfielders Gabe Boivin and Nathan Branstad; defenders Luke Easter, Colin Hasty, Grant Havertine, Ryan Marquardt, Bennett Nippert and goalkeeper Matt Towler. The junior veterans are forward Trent Giansanti, and midfielders Liam O'Donoghue and Nic Plata. Branstad and Havertine are captains.
"Matt Towler has six shutouts as goalkeeper and Trent Giansanti has six goals and one assist. Colin Hasty has three goals, and Nathan Branstad has three assists," Bhatta said. "Liam O'Donoghue has been struggling with injury but really dictates our game play from the holding-mid position and has been getting back to health. I'm excited to see him perform more and more."
The 2022 campaign started well for Wheaton Warrenville South and coach Guy Callipari with a 2-0-2 mark. The Tigers beat Glenbard West 2-0 in their opener and cruised past Schaumburg 5-0. The ties came against Oswego (2-2) and Willowbrook (1-1).
However, Wheaton Warrenville South has dropped its last four matches, falling 3-1 to Glenbard East before the 4-0 loss to St. Charles North in its DuKane Conference opener Sept. 6. This past weekend, the Tigers fell on penalties to Solorio (1-1, 4-2) and 2-0 to Lincoln-Way Central in the BodyArmor event.
Callipari, an Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Famer, is one of three current IHSA coaches with more than 400 girls wins and more than 300 boys victories. He realizes that this is a critical time for his Tigers.
"This game is a turning point for us both in conference play and overall record on the year," Callipari said. "It will serve as an optic to who we are as a team and the possibilities going forward. We are just trying to get people healthy and a lineup that is consistent and capable of competing in the DuKane Conference."
The coach, who has led the program since 1991, has 10 players back from a squad that went 8-8-3 a year ago.
The returning seniors are midfielders Gael Alfaro, Nikhil Bawa and Chase Kedzior, defenders Jerry Cuatzo and Tim Foley, and forwards Marco Gonzalez and Issa Husseini. The junior class is represented by midfielder Edgar Guzman. Sophomores defender Aaron Escareno and goalkeeper Jared Ferreyra are in their second year of varsity play. The team captains are Alfaro, Cuatzo, Gonzalez and Kedzior.
"Captain Chase Kedzior needs to assert himself in the final third, and goal-scorers like seniors Gael Alfaro and Issa Huseinni need to find a rhythm of play that can threaten and create opportunities with regularity," Callipari said.
"Our young players like Jet Oehlrlein and freshman Semin Razman have the ability to contribute and only need experience to compete at the speed of play with confidence. Our backline has made a few mistakes, but there's room for improvement. Much can be solved in communicating with each other and moving into transition cleanly and quickly."
When the teams met last season on September 14 in Geneva, the Tigers grabbed an early lead but the Vikings rallied with goals in the final half to capture a 2-1 win.