Girls soccer: Geneva opens season with shutout of Rosary

There were plenty of firsts recorded by Geneva's girls soccer team Saturday afternoon in Aurora.

First game of the season - check.

First high school goals for several players - check.

First varsity game for a handful of players - check.

First win of the season - check.

First shutout of the season - check.

Freshman forward Jenna Dominguez tallied a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes and sophomore midfielders Lauren Albrecht, Olivia Tegge, and junior midfielder Maddy Rapach-Lagowski added first-half goals as the Vikings grabbed a 5-0 halftime advantage over Rosary (0-1).

Geneva (1-0) went on to score four more times in the second half during its impressive 9-0 nonconference triumph.

"It was a great start to the season," said Vikings coach Megan Owens. "Obviously first game there's some kinks to work out but we're just glad the weather held. It's good to be out here playing on a grass field - of all things this early.

"We were just anxious to get a game in and now we've got some ideas about a few things we can work on going into next week."

A little more than 7 minutes into the opening half, Dominguez recorded the first goal of her young varsity career, putting away a loose ball in front of the Royals' net.

Nearly a minute and a half later, Dominguez delivered her second goal of the game to give the Vikings a 2-0 lead and quell any lingering case of nerves she might have felt.

"I was nervous a little bit before the game," said Dominguez, one of three freshmen - Sydney Gratz and Caitlin Farrell - playing in their first high school match.

"It was different," she added. "I was playing out wide and I'm usually in the center but I like playing out wide now."

Albrecht sent a low skidding shot past Rosary keeper Julia Isaacs (6 saves) midway through the half to make it 3-0 before Tegge notched her first varsity goal 5 minutes later.

"I played some varsity last year but this was my first goal," said Tegge.

Ten minutes into the second half, junior forward Molly McGavin cleaned up a rebound off a free kick from Briar Schwardt to extend the Vikings' lead to 6-0.

Sophomore Katelyn Keenehan and seniors Allie Mikos and Kyleigh Dominguez closed out the scoring for the Vikings, as junior keeper Emma Harkleroad (2 saves) notched the shutout.

"It was a total team effort today - so many players scored and so many different players had assists," said Owens. "They worked hard."

Despite half of the 20-girl roster being comprised of freshmen and sophomores, the Vikings looked the part of an experienced squad Saturday.

"It was great to see because you're always worried about their nerves a little in their first varsity game," said Owens. "They held their own. It bodes well for our future."

Rosary coach Janice Eddington took the season-opening loss in stride.

"I was proud of how the girls kept battling despite the score," she said. "I thought we looked a lot better in the second half."