Girls soccer: Geneva shuts out West Aurora

Two much-improved girls soccer teams met on Saturday at West Aurora, and while both Geneva and the host Blackhawks showed how far they have come, there were early-season wobbles as well.

After 80 minutes, Geneva was 2-0 better, thanks to a pair of goals in the opening quarter-hour of the second half. The win was no fluke as the Vikings had far more shots on goal and forced Blackhawks keeper Bailey Ziman into several key saves, but West Aurora surged offensively twice and nearly got on the scoreboard, which would have made things interesting.

"We created a lot offensively, which was great to see," Geneva coach Megan Owens said. "Now it's a matter of working on our finishing, finding the corners of the net and making sure our shots are on-frame. I couldn't have asked for more. The number of offensive opportunities was awesome for this early in the season."

Neither team scored in the first half, though Geneva (2-0) had the best chances, especially in the third minute when Allie Mikos forced a strong Ziman save and Kyleigh Dominguez fired the rebound over the crossbar.

Through the rest of the half Jordan Andersen, Sydney Gratz and Katelyn Keenehan forced Ziman saves while Caitlin Farrell hit the post after taking an Olivia Tegge pass 4 minutes before halftime.

"I think we possessed really well and we have good foot speed," Owens said. "We worked the ball around really well. Now it's just finishing. For the second game, I think we're in great shape."

Geneva found a higher gear immediately after halftime and scored from a corner kick in the fifth minute of the second half. The ball came to Emily Hauser, who fed Gratz, who thundered the ball into the back of the net.

Twelve minutes into the half, Geneva doubled its lead from a free kick after Ziman had stepped just outside the penalty area when kicking upfield. Briar Schwardt took that free kick. Ziman got a hand to the shot, but the effort was too strong and went into the upper portion of the net

"Sometimes, girls teams struggle creating opportunities," Owens said. "I think the number of opportunities we created was fantastic."

West Aurora hit its highest offensive gears after Schardt's goal. Riley O'Brien found running room in midfield, Katharine Stephens got loose further upfield, and the Blackhawks (2-2) began to get chances. Within the final 5 minutes, a flurry after a corner kick led to a shot into the side netting and an O'Brien shot that went wide.

"We've just got to finish our chances," West Aurora coach Laura Wagley said. "Against these good teams, you've got to finish. We almost had one in the first half with (O'Brien) off a free kick to Marlene (Sanchez) and then (Stephens and O'Brien) worked well together in the second half."

West Aurora altered its formation by adding a sweeper to try to counter Geneva's speed and ball movement, and Wagley said her team adjusted well to the shift.

"They scored off a corner and off a goalie error, so I was happy with how my team played," Wagley said. "They listened to what we wanted to do, and they played that way, and it worked. We knew what Geneva was going to do and we shut them down. We knew they get out wide and attack diagonally, and we set up to stop it."

Wagley also praised Ziman, who kept the score line close and allowed her team a chance at a rally.

"She played awesome and made some great saves. Without her, it would have been a six- or seven-goal game," Wagley said.