advertisement

Girls soccer: Geneva stuns St. Charles East

Geneva freshman forward Jenna Dominguez might've been soft-spoken in the postgame interview, but her actions on the field were indeed the loudest Tuesday night.

In Round 3 of the battle between Tri-Cities foes Geneva and St. Charles East, Dominguez helped the Vikings avenge a pair of 3-0 losses this season to the Saints when it counted the most with a little dribbler she snuck inside the left post during the 51st minute of a 1-0 Vikings win in the nightcap of the Class 3A Bartlett sectional semifinal at Millennium Field in Streamwood.

The goal, which sent Geneva (15-6-1) to Friday's sectional final against top-seeded St. Charles North at 5 p.m., derived from her sister, senior forward Kyleigh Dominguez, who crossed a shot on goal that was initially stopped by Saints keeper Alison Chesterfield.

The rebound landed behind 2 East players in front of the left post with enough room for Jenna and her 5-foot-2 frame to sneak through for the game-winner.

"I knew my team was depending on it to score the goal and take the lead," Dominguez said of her second postseason goal and 10th of the season. "I just kind of tapped it in. It was very, very important to score the goal."

It indeed was in this defensive battle as St. Charles East (18-4-1) only put up 7 shots on goal with 11 in total. Their lack of offense marked only the fourth time it didn't score all season let alone the second-straight year the Saints bowed out by a 1-0 score in the sectional semis.

"We gave everything we had, it just wasn't our day," Saints coach Paul Jennison said, who praised Geneva for its efforts. "You've got to accept that if you don't put the ball in the back of the net, you're not worthy of going through and that's a harsh reality for a team that's been this good all year."

Geneva only posted 4 shots on goal and 9 overall, but was the more attacking team in the second half. That effort allowed them a crack at its first sectional title since 2005, let alone more redemption since they also lost to North 3 weeks ago by a 2-1 margin.

"They fought hard for everything and that's why rankings don't matter in the off-season," Vikes coach Megan Owens said. "To be able to show up and beat a team that beat us twice in the regular season, it's just impressive. They played with all heart and left it all on the field. They didn't get intimidated and they played for each other."

Another reason the Vikes were able to get a big shutout win against a state power: keeper Emma Harkleroad.

The Vikings goalie wasn't intimidated by any means. Harkleroad, who made the big PK save against Wheaton Warrenville South in the regional title game, earned her 11th solo shutout with 5 saves, including a diving stop on a header from Shannon Gatehouse inside the box with 12:35 left, East's best chance all night.

The Saints came at her again with 5 minutes left but another diving save then and one more on Megan O'Neal's shot in the box with 2:35 helped seal the upset.

"We didn't want them to beat us again," said Harkleroad who prepared herself for a late flurry of shots. "I was scared initially but said this is not happening this way, so it motivated me to save it. To know that not just that we beat them, but to get a shutout against them it's awesome."

  Geneva's Emma Harkleroad punches away a corner kick as she's challenged by St. Charles East's Kyla Augustine during Tuesday's sectional soccer action at Streamwood High School. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles East players console each other after their loss to Geneva during Tuesday's sectional soccer action at Streamwood High School. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Olivia Tegge and St. Charles East's Chantel Carranza go down battling for the ball during Tuesday's sectional soccer action at Streamwood High School. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  St. Charles East's Chantel Carranza leaps to win a ball in front of Geneva's Leah Groven during Tuesday's sectional soccer action at Streamwood High School. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
  Geneva's Madeline Stellick goes flying as she gets tangled up with St. Charles East's Morgan Kull during Tuesday's sectional soccer action at Streamwood High School. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.