Upstart Geneva wins on PKs

Entering the game with as many ties as victories this season - 6 - perhaps it was appropriate that Geneva found itself in a 2-2 draw with Plainfield North after regulation time during Tuesday night's Class 3A regional soccer semifinal at Burgess Field.

The game remained deadlocked after a pair of 10-minute overtime periods before the 11th-seeded Vikings (7-4-6) escaped with a 3-2 victory decided via penalty kicks.

After Jason Lagger, Calen Colbert, Ryan Anderson, Matt Waldoch and Matt D'Onofrio recorded goals during the shootout, the Vikings turned to junior keeper Duncan Turnbull in the fifth round of the PKs.

Diving to his right, Turnbull used his entire 6-foot, 6-inch frame to turn away a low blast from the Tigers' Jake Farley as the Vikings fought off elimination.

"Our takers did well to finish all five PKs," said Turnbull, who recorded 8 saves in regulation. "I just had to come up with a save there and secure the win."

Penalty kicks can often become a guessing game of sorts for goalkeepers.

"It's really mental," admitted Turnbull. "On the last one, I just picked a side and I said, 'if it goes to this side, I'm going to save it.'

"I got it with my right hand."

"Duncan really stretched out nicely on that one," said Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook, whose team now faces third-seeded Benet Academy for the regional championship Saturday afternoon in Geneva. "He won the game for us - there's no other way to put it.

"During the last three weeks, he has really raised the level of play and our team has been the beneficiary of that."

Waldoch, who had an assist on Jason Lagger's first-half goal that opened the scoring, figured his team had the right person in net when it got to the shootout.

"We were confident that we were going to win because we're confident that we have the best goalkeeper in the state at PKs," said Waldoch.

Sixth-seeded Plainfield North, which entered with a 5-game winning streak, tied the contest at 1-1 in the 25th minute on Austin Collier's header off a cross from Nicholas Anweiler.

With 5 minutes remaining in the first half, 6-4 junior defender Drew Klaus scored on a header off a feed from Matt Luetzen to put the Vikings back on top 2-1.

Midway through the second half, Anweiler notched the equalizer during a mad scramble in front of the Vikings' net.

"During the scramble, Duncan Turnbull got cleated (under his right eye) by Drew Klaus as Drew was trying to get on the ball," said Estabrook. "It was definitely a scramble.

"Twice, we had a one-goal lead and we conceded (it) so we need to work on maintaining a lead," added the coach. "But Plainfield North had double-digit wins this season for a reason. They found some scrappy ways to equalize."

The win was the Vikings' first in nearly a month dating back to a 3-1 victory over Oswego on Sept. 25.

"We haven't lost many games and we haven't won many games either," said Estabrook, "but we've showed that we can play with anyone. We tied two of the best teams in the state in St. Charles East and Hinsdale Central. We feel very confident about the way we're playing."

Plainfield North finished its season at 17-3-1.

"To be fair, this game probably deserved to go to PKs," said Tigers coach Mike Skupien. "We haven't played many teams that good. We play a decent schedule but they're far from an 11 seed."