Genoa-Kingston celebrates seniors,
preps for league tourney vs. Hinckley-Big Rock
By Len Eisele
Genoa-Kingston, of the Big Northern Conference, hosts Hinckley-Big Rock, of the Little 10 Conference, on Saturday for another matchup between the two leagues.
For the Cogs (5-5-1), this is their third crossover game with the Little 10. Previously they tied undefeated Indian Creek 5-5 and defeated Somonauk 7-0.
The Cogs have extra motivation to take the result as they honor Rony Vasquez, Juan Campos, Angel Tapia, Cesar Marquez, Alejo Pacheco, Marco Beltran Ghandy Camargo, Marco Villagran and Alan Rangel on Senior Day.
The underclassmen are keen to send the Class of 2021 out with a win, but they will have to do it with a key Cog.
Forward Eagan Reams will miss the game for a college showcase. The junior is already the school’s all-time leader in goals and is averaging almost three goals a game this season.
Forward Junior Leon may have to work overtime to help deliver a win. The sophomore, who led all Illinois freshmen in scoring in 2019, has been on a tear this season scoring and setting up his teammates.
Tate said the pair have developed chemistry from playing club ball together. They have scored a combined 37 goals and 19 assists so far this season.
Hinckley-Big Rock (4-4-1) is led by senior striker Conner Bullard, who previously worked on the defensive end. He has a team-high 10 goals this season.
The Cogs are the second Big Northern Conference opponent for the Royals this season; they lost 4-0 to Dixon on April 3.
If common opponents are a factor in determining the game, the Cogs have the upper hand. Both teams lost to Dixon and beat Sandwich earlier in the season, but the Cogs have a win against Somonauk and a tie against Indian Creek. The Royals lost to both those teams.
The match has high-scoring potential -- both teams were without their starting goalkeepers for the past week.
“We’ve been able to recover from losing our starting goalkeeper to a season-ending knee injury, with two victories back-to-back,” Royals’ coach Melissa Jennings said. “We just need to come out strong, find our groove, play our game and finish like we have been in the last several matchups, and we will be golden.”
Genoa-Kingston gets starting goalkeeper Vasquez back after a week away from the team. The Cogs had rotated between two sophomores Javier Pizano and Aaron Acosta, who earned the shutout in the Cogs 6-0 win vs. Oregon on Thursday.
The Cogs will be down one starting midfielder, and possibly two according to Tate. This could give the Royals an advantage when attacking in the middle of the field.
This is the final tune-up for the Cogs before they start the conference tournament on Monday. The Cogs broke a tie with Oregon in the league standings after their win against the Hawks on Thursday to move up to fourth in the conference. That set up possible rematch of the two teams Monday.
Click here to see updated Big Northern Conference standings
preps for league tourney vs. Hinckley-Big Rock
By Len Eisele
Genoa-Kingston, of the Big Northern Conference, hosts Hinckley-Big Rock, of the Little 10 Conference, on Saturday for another matchup between the two leagues.
For the Cogs (5-5-1), this is their third crossover game with the Little 10. Previously they tied undefeated Indian Creek 5-5 and defeated Somonauk 7-0.
The Cogs have extra motivation to take the result as they honor Rony Vasquez, Juan Campos, Angel Tapia, Cesar Marquez, Alejo Pacheco, Marco Beltran Ghandy Camargo, Marco Villagran and Alan Rangel on Senior Day.
The underclassmen are keen to send the Class of 2021 out with a win, but they will have to do it with a key Cog.
Forward Eagan Reams will miss the game for a college showcase. The junior is already the school’s all-time leader in goals and is averaging almost three goals a game this season.
Forward Junior Leon may have to work overtime to help deliver a win. The sophomore, who led all Illinois freshmen in scoring in 2019, has been on a tear this season scoring and setting up his teammates.
Tate said the pair have developed chemistry from playing club ball together. They have scored a combined 37 goals and 19 assists so far this season.
Hinckley-Big Rock (4-4-1) is led by senior striker Conner Bullard, who previously worked on the defensive end. He has a team-high 10 goals this season.
The Cogs are the second Big Northern Conference opponent for the Royals this season; they lost 4-0 to Dixon on April 3.
If common opponents are a factor in determining the game, the Cogs have the upper hand. Both teams lost to Dixon and beat Sandwich earlier in the season, but the Cogs have a win against Somonauk and a tie against Indian Creek. The Royals lost to both those teams.
The match has high-scoring potential -- both teams were without their starting goalkeepers for the past week.
“We’ve been able to recover from losing our starting goalkeeper to a season-ending knee injury, with two victories back-to-back,” Royals’ coach Melissa Jennings said. “We just need to come out strong, find our groove, play our game and finish like we have been in the last several matchups, and we will be golden.”
Genoa-Kingston gets starting goalkeeper Vasquez back after a week away from the team. The Cogs had rotated between two sophomores Javier Pizano and Aaron Acosta, who earned the shutout in the Cogs 6-0 win vs. Oregon on Thursday.
The Cogs will be down one starting midfielder, and possibly two according to Tate. This could give the Royals an advantage when attacking in the middle of the field.
This is the final tune-up for the Cogs before they start the conference tournament on Monday. The Cogs broke a tie with Oregon in the league standings after their win against the Hawks on Thursday to move up to fourth in the conference. That set up possible rematch of the two teams Monday.
Click here to see updated Big Northern Conference standings