Vikings use big second half to beat Falcons for regional title

By Matt Le Cren

 

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Nobody said winning regional championships was easy.

Geneva found that out last spring, losing 1-0 in overtime to Lake Park in a regional title game.

And things definitely weren’t easy for the Vikings in the first half of Saturday’s Class 3A West Chicago Regional final against Wheaton North as neither side was able to score in the 90-degree heat.

The second half, however, was a much different story. Geneva lit up the Falcons defense for six goals, the first four of which came on consecutive shots, and cruised to a 6-0 victory.

It was the seventh regional championship in the past nine years for the top-seeded Vikings, who advanced to Tuesday's Schaumburg Sectional semifinals against St. Charles North.

“Regional championships are hard to earn,” Geneva coach Megan Owens said. “They’re not guaranteed and we learned that the hard way last year, losing in overtime.

“So they really wanted it and I’m very proud of the effort they put in. They fought hard. Wheaton North gave us a very nice game, they fought the whole time.”

No. 9 seed Wheaton North (10-10-1) was never able to mount an attack against Geneva’s back line of Tory Herbst, Caitrin Griffin, Annie Waldoch and Molly Stanfa, which allowed only five shots. Geneva keeper Marissa Schroyer did not have to make a save in recording her team’s 13th shutout.

“Our defense is phenomenal,” Geneva's Catherine Allon said. “We can always count on them. They are very solid every single game. They work great together.”

So do Geneva’s more offensive-minded players, who broke through at will in the second half after being held at bay in the first 40 minutes.

Allon scored the first two goals and now has 21 on the season, four of which have come in back-to-back playoff games.

The senior tallied what turned out to be the game-winner with 34:25 left when she took a pass from Michaela Loebel and launched a left-footed shot from 15 yards out that Wheaton North goalie Jessica Kiely (8 saves) got a hand on but couldn’t stop.

Three minutes later, Allon made it 2-0 when she knocked a short shot under Kiely after receiving a cross from the left end line from Molly Axen.

The Vikings (15-4-4) also converted their next two shots, doubling their lead on goals from Amanda Lulek at the 27:11 mark and Loebel with 14:45 remaining.

Lulek’s goal was worthy of the highlight reel and she and Kiely collided at the top of the box while chasing a long ball from Waldoch. Both players fell down, but Lulek was able to fire a 17-yard shot just under the crossbar as she hit the deck.

Loebel’s goal came on a header from the right post that rolled inside the left post after a perfect cross from Ally Serra.

“I think once we get our momentum going we start to pick up our speed of play and get our heads up and start connecting,” Allon said. “So once we get the first goal I think everything starts to click with us.”

The Vikings now have scored 26 goals during their current four-game winning streak. They’ve found the back of the net 14 times in two playoff games.

“We weren’t connecting in the final offensive third,” Owens said. “We were just playing a lot of high long balls. Our crosses were going right to the keeper instead of pulling them out, so we just really emphasized playing to feet, connecting and we just had a tremendous second half and it was a total team effort, which was great.

“I think once we got going the floodgates just opened a little bit. We kind of had that feeling after the first half we knew if we got one in it would help a little bit with our momentum. The girls played with a lot of heart.”

The Vikings also played with the memory of last year’s upset loss fresh in their minds and they were aware that victory was not guaranteed, especially considering No. 1 sectional seeds Hersey and Lyons Township already had lost in regional play.

“Especially after last year, we were definitely a little worried I think in the first half, especially with all the upsets last night,” Allon said. “We don’t want to underestimate any of our opponents.”

They certainly didn’t underestimate the Falcons, who had played them tough in a 2-1 overtime loss to Geneva in the Naperville Invitational on April 20.

“Our coach told us [at halftime] whoever had the most heart in this game was probably going to come out with a win,” Allon said. “She told us just to leave everything out on the field because this could be our last game. We just worked our hardest to try to get the goals in.”

Freshman Mary Landry and sophomore Catie Coghlan also scored for Geneva, with Griffin assisting on Coghlan’s strike that finished the scoring with 2:15 to go.

“[The Vikings] are extraordinarily dangerous,” Wheaton North coach Tim McEvilly said. “They have multiple dangerous kids. It’s not just one kid you’ve got to worry about. You can’t give any of them space. If you give them space they’re going to convert.”

That’s exactly what happened in the second half as the Vikings took advantage of every opening.

“They controlled the game for 80 minutes,” McEvilly said. “I thought in the first half we were able to at least negate those opportunities. We were holding our midfielders back to where we played compact and we didn’t give them clear looks at the goal.

“And in the second half we gave them space and let them step in front of us. Once it got 1-0, 2-0, I think the dominoes just fell down. Unfortunately I don’t know if we were able to maintain the effort that we needed to give ourselves a chance to get back into it.”

Wheaton North’s back line was already playing without junior starter Linnae Giuliano, who sprained an ankle in the Falcons’ four-overtime victory over Bartlett in the regional semifinals.

The Falcons were further weakened when another key defender, sophomore Lyndi Armstrong, was taken to the hospital because of dehydration in the first half.