Geneva strikes fast, advances to sectionals

Score early, score often, and you're on your way to a sectional.

Geneva's 5-1 win over Glenbard West in Saturday's Class 3A boys soccer regional title game was built on two goals by the game's seventh minute, and two more before halftime in Elk Grove.

The Vikings (19-2-1) got goals from five different players in advancing to Tuesday's Wheaton North sectional semifinals.

"We've really been on a roll in scoring goals, and finishing," said Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook. "We only missed a couple opportunities today, and it's gratifying to do that in a regional final."

The Vikings' Shawn Sloan scored his 26th goal of the season in the third minute of play, dribbling up from the right side, getting around the Hilltoppers' goalkeeper and calmly poking it home.

Sloan played a major role for Geneva during last year's run to a supersectional game, and he'll likely figure prominently again if they repeat that feat.

"We were glad to put in three goals in the first 15 minutes, because then we could work it around and make (Glenbard West) do most of the work," Sloan said.

Long stripes of muddy footing up the middle of the field and along both sidelines figured to limit both sides' passing ability, but the Vikings put on their hard hats and went to work.

"It wasn't very pretty soccer today, but it was effective soccer," Estabrook said. "Considering the conditions, I was happy with the way we came out."

Geneva went up 2-0 on a John McSpadden goal from 12 yards out, Kevin Hilgart chipped a ball into net in the 21st minute, and Robbie Johnson made it 4-0 with a goal in the 27th minute.

Glenbard West (7-9-4) made it 4-1 before halftime when Kyle Donegan headed a cross downward near the goalmouth, where it caromed into net off a Geneva defender.

But while Glenbard West fought tooth and nail throughout the second half, and Donegan put another ball on frame in the 48th minute, the Hilltoppers struggled to consistently find dangerous space in their attacking third.

Geneva made it 5-1 in the 62nd minute on a Kendal Spurgin head shot goal and held the game in hand from there.

"I thought Seamus Kaminski did a nice job. He was scrappy up top, played in back for us for a little while, and in the midfield," Estabrook said. "He's the true definition of a mudder. He was dynamite out there for us."

Last year after struggling to start the year, Geneva went on a 16-game winning streak to a supersectional game before losing to Neuqua Valley. The experience made this year's core of returning players hungry to make another deep postseason run.

"I think we can go just as far if not farther this year," Sloan said. "Ben (Orr) and I are connecting well up top, Kendal is doing a great job of holding down the midfield, and (goalkeeper Ryan) Ward has put good, hard hours in at practice, and it has really paid off."

"We returned a few keystones from that team, and they know what it's like to play at this time of the year," Estabrook said. "Our expectations coming into the season were to play our best soccer at the end of the year, and hopefully that translates into winning championships."