Hill, Allon team up to give Geneva wild overtime win

With its best player laying still on the turf in pain, and trailing 1-0 with just over 28 minutes to play in Saturday's Class 3A Streamwood regional title match, the Geneva girls' soccer team was on the brink of surrender.

But that player, senior forward Sammi Hill, got up and returned to action 10 minutes later to ignite a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory over York that she sealed in overtime on a breakaway goal.

Hill, who was tripped up and injured her tailbone, was back in action at the 16:36 mark when she booted a blistering free kick on goal that was on top of York keeper AnnaBell Lansdowne in the blink of an eye. Lansdowne dove to bat the ball down, but Geneva sophomore Catherine Allon was in front of the net to kick in the tying goal on the rebound.

"It was an indirect kick, so I just took a shot," said Hill, in describing her booming kick as if it was business as usual. "And Catherine was there to get the rebound."

Allon, who had applied plenty of offensive pressure on York (20-5) in the second half, was quick to take advantage of her best scoring chance.

"When I saw that ball, I just knew I had to spurt up to it and find a way to get it into the net," Allon said.

It was the Hill-and-Allon combination that clicked for the overtime winner as well. With 5:23 left in the overtime, Allon secured the ball near midfield and sent a pass to Hill, who had one defender on her side she had to beat.

Hill found an opening and fired the sudden-death winner into the net on Lansdowne's right side, sending Geneva (16-5-3) into a wild regional championship celebration - and a sectional clash against St. Charles North on Tuesday.

"I saw Sammi just taking off, and she is such a good target because she is so fast," Allon said of her match-winning assist.

Geneva coach Megan Owens was happy that Hill was able to get off the deck and change the complexion of a game that York had under control.

"She was a trooper today and, as a senior, she wanted it to end on the field," Owens said of Hill's quick recovery. "I told her she had 20 minutes to make it happen.

"It was a beautiful shot," Owens said. "She kept her composure and did a great job today. She's been injured most of the season and we're very glad to have her back."

York dominated first half action, as Geneva had no serious scoring opportunities. With 28 minutes left in the first half, York's Christine Ordonez dribbled into the far left corner before sending a perfect cross to her sister, Ellie Ordonez, who drilled a shot past Geneva keeper Jenny Lienau for a 1-0 lead.

Despite both teams battling the first hot and humid conditions of the season, the pace picked up in the second half, with both teams applying plenty of pressure and scoring chances.

Hill sent crosses to Madeline Tennant twice in the final 12 minutes of regulation, but Lansdowne made saves for the Lady Dukes.

York had a couple of scoring chances in the last three minutes of regulation, capping a sequence of more than six minutes of pressure on Geneva's end of the field.

"If we had played the entire match the way we played the last five minutes of regulation, it would have been a totally different game," York coach Rachel Shepherd said.

"I think our girls had a great season and outperformed our expectations," Shepherd said. "We have a young team that improved during the season, and I am looking forward to seeing what they will be able to produce in the next few years."

Shepherd said it was hard to lose after leading the majority of the match, and it was frustrating to make the kind of mistakes that were haunting the team earlier in the season.

For Owens, the match turned out to be a coach's dream.

"I told the team I was so proud of them for coming back from 1-0 and not hanging their heads," Owens said. "It showed a lot of composure, and if after this game they don't believe in themselves and the ability that they bring to the field, nothing will.

"We just played a great game."

The Vikings are looking forward to facing a powerful St. Charles North team again, after losing to the North Stars 1-0 earlier this season.

Hill, who was injured and did not play against North, is anxious for her chance.

"This is my first season back in soccer since freshman year, so this feels really good," Hill said. "I wasn't there (against North) last time, so I don't know what happened, but I will be there this time."