Neuqua Valley overcomes Geneva
After Neuqua Valley beat Geneva 1-0 to advance to Friday's Elite Eight in boys soccer, Wildcats midfielder Bryan Gaul was asked if the super sectional experience played out like he anticipated it might.
"Not at all, to be honest," Gaul said. "I kind of underestimated Geneva. They were one of the best teams we've ever played."
Whenever you see a toe-to-toe soccer game with limited dangerous scoring chances given up either way, you're usually watching two evenly-matched teams. That's essentially what fans got at Benedictine University.
Coming in as the nation's fifth-ranked soccer team by the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America, Neuqua Valley (22-1-4) got all the scoring it needed in the game's 37th minute, on a head-shot goal from Scott Davis.
"I just jumped up and put it in," Davis said.
Brian Ciesiulka headed the ball in from the right side, and Davis stepped up, leaned forward, and sent it home from 6 yards out.
Davis provided spark off the Wildcats' bench all season, and the sophomore scored the most important goal of his young high school career on Monday.
"He's had some big goals for us this year," said Wildcats coach Jim Johns. "He also scored against East Aurora to tie that game.
"Once we got a goal, we thought we might be able to get a second one, but it was very hard to break them down."
And against a Geneva (19-6-2) team aching for an equalizing goal, the Wildcats did what they may do best.
"They are very strong in the back," said Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook. "They ate up all the serves that we had in the box, and we never really adjusted to that. They really held tight back there."
Asa Carson, Tanner Fink, Robby Gargaro, and Bo Miller stood tall throughout, and goalkeeper Jack Turanchik made on of the game's best saves, snaring a hard Geneva shot from 8 yards out in the 48th minute.
Each team sent 3 shots on frame in a game that see-sawed throughout. Geneva had won its previous 16 games, and Monday's loss was particularly hard for the Vikings to take.
"I just think we didn't give them our best game," said Geneva senior Andy Filipiak. "That's the part that's hardest to take. But we got beat by a good team."
Geneva keeper Greg Duff made a diving save of his own in the first half, and the Vikings gave as well as they got throughout the contest.
Neuqua Valley returns to the state finals for the first time since winning the state title in 2003. The Wildcats will take on Monday's winner between Peoria Notre Dame and Champaign Centennial, in a 1 p.m. quarterfinal game at North Central College.
"Today, we played defense extremely well," Gaul said. "I think that was our best defensive day. Also, once we got in the flow of things, I thought we played a lot of good soccer."
Hinsdale Central 1, Argo 0 (3 OT):ŒHinsdale Central's Jeffrey Graham scored the decisive goal in the 102nd minute as the Red Devils topped Argo to win at Toyota Park in Bridgeview and earn a spot opposite New Trier in Friday's state quarterfinals.
Mark Knight initiated the goal with a cross that was redirected by John Balsamo for Hinsdale Central (19-6-1).