Geneva heeds wake-up call
This isn't a team that likes to play in midday, this Geneva boys soccer team -- they're more Vampires and Vikings.
But after playing the first half like a group of Zombies, Geneva found something it could sink its collective teeth into -- a Glenbard West squad that hadn't shown much bite itself in a scoreless opening 40 minutes.
Geneva stuck a 3-0 spike into the Hilltoppers' hearts and claimed the Bartlett regional championship in the process.
"Some of our people aren't morning people," Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook said. "It seems strange saying 'morning people' when we kicked off at 1 o'clock. But we did not look really ready to start this game."
The Vikings, who are unbeaten in 14 matches and improved to 17-5-2, face Wheaton Warrenville South on Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Wheaton Academy sectional semifinals.
"We did this last year, but this one feels better," said Geneva senior Max Cary. "It's the way that we're playing. We're playing well together. We're on a big winning streak and we feel like it's going to take a good team playing well to stop us."
The Vikings nearly took the lead four minutes into the first half when Dan Miller sent a short cross from the left wing to Adam Cornwell, who forced Papo Markewicz to make a sterling save.
But after that, the match settled into a midfield battle.
"At halftime, Coach Estabrook had a little talk with us and reminded us that, for the seniors, it could be the last 40 minutes that we had on the pitch," said Geneva senior Shawn Sloan. "We didn't want to go out on a bad note."
In the third minute of the second half, Cornwell passed to Brian Holbrook, whose shot was turned into the goal by a Glenbard West defender.
Fourteen minutes into the half, Geneva got the all-important second goal. Cary got around his defender on the right edge of the penalty area, worked to the end line and sent the ball to Cornwell -- who scored.
"At halftime, we picked it up and got what we wanted, which was to put goals in the net," Cary said.
At the midpoint of the half, Trevor Cunningham sent a short pass forward to Dan Miller, who chipped the goalkeeper for the Vikings' third goal.
Glenbard West (12-6-2) went most of the match without a serious effort at a goal. Kyle Donegan hit the post with 12 minutes to play. And the shutout nearly ended five minutes later when Donegan sent a close-range header that Geneva goalie Greg Duff saved.
"We lose our heads and then we don't play -- and then the better team prevailed," saod Glenbard West coach John Gosling.
The match saw 13 yellow cards -- and two Glenbard West players received two yellow cards and had to leave the match via the prep high school "soft red" rule.
"When you lose your heads, you don't play well," Gosling said. "I've always said that when teams get that many, it's a reflection on the program and the coach. I'll take blame for losing our heads."