Vikings disappointed following 2-2 draw with Schaumburg

By Darryl Mellema

When asked her team's record after Thursday's match with Schaumburg, Geneva coach Megan Owens immediately replied “3-2.”

She quickly caught herself and amended the record to its proper 3-1-1.

"It feels like a loss," she said of her squad's just-completed 2-2 draw with Schaumburg.

For 65 minutes against the Saxons in the opening round of the St. Charles East Invitational, Geneva played as if it was about to register a victory, having taken a 2-0 lead and dominating play.

Then came 42 seconds of madness followed by another four or five nervous minutes before the teams finished play with the final score even.

"We played stronger in the second half than in the first half," Geneva senior Gina Peri said.

Peri assisted Amanda Lulek on the first goal and then passed to Alexa Loebel midway through the second half to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead.

"The second one was a cross and it happened to be in the right spot,” Peri said. “(Loebel) was lucky to get onto the end of it.

"And the first one, I just kicked it and (Lulek) got onto the end of it and finished it herself. I'm just happy I was able to get it up there and give them the opportunity for it."

Then Schaumburg rallied. First Stephanie Pouse fed Sarah Christy with a right wing cross for the first goal.

Then with 11:30 to play, Christy scored again and the teams were on their way to a drawn ballgame.

"We had a mental lapse," Owens said. "For four or five minutes, we just fell apart. It shouldn't happen. It's not acceptable. We can't afford for that to happen."

Geneva's best period of soccer came in the moments preceding Loebel's goal. Even afterward, the Vikings seemed in control of the contest.

"We really picked it up in the second half," Peri said. "I know our aggression got a lot stronger as the game went on.

"We challenged more out of the air. That's a big change for us, to stay strong against such an aggressive team."

The Vikings controlled much of the game with Kailey Rote sending solid passes from central midfield to outside players such as Sarah Tennant.

If the final pass – or attempted shot – failed to connect, Geneva was dominant and time was ebbing for the Saxons (5-0-1.)

All that changed with Christy's first goal. And while the Vikings were still recovering from that shock, Christy struck again.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that we dominated the half and then in less than a minute, we let them put two in the back of the net," Owens said.

"I know we're still trying to figure out positions. One of our defenders got hurt so we had to shift some things around. But we should still be able to work together and have a strong half."

Geneva's first match in the St. Charles East Invitational was canceled due to Wednesday's poor weather.

That contest, against Naperville Central, takes place Friday at Naperville Central. The varsity kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Vikings continue a difficult run on Saturday against rival St. Charles East. Games next week include matches against DuPage Valley Conference powers Wheaton Warrenville South and Naperville North.

"It's going to be a good test for us and we're all looking forward to it, to see how we match up against these tough teams," Peri said.

"They'll be good games. Hopefully we can keep them close and end up knocking some of them off and surprising some people."

Still, the Vikings are 3-1-1 and have played against decent competition to this point.

"We're coming along well," Peri said. "In practices, we're all playing really strong. Most of us are returning so we know how each other play.

"But we're also starting to get used to it again and I think we're connecting well."