Huge crowd enjoys Geneva's onslaught
Geneva packed Burgess Stadium for homecoming festivities, including a pep rally on Thursday night.
Perhaps Geneva Nation didn't realize how much the Vikings boys soccer team would enjoy the school spirit as the Vikings put forth a tremendous effort in beating St. Charles North, 5-2, in Upstate Eight Conference play.
"We'll pretend they all came out to watch us play," Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook joked.
There was no joking out on the field though as the Vikings never trailed, jumping ahead less than seven minutes into the contest when Robbie Johnson scored on a header off a free kick.
St. Charles North (11-2-2) pulled even at 1-1 in the 15th minute when Mike Winhoffer scored on a penalty kick, but the Vikings pulled ahead before halftime when Johnson bested the North Stars on a set play from the 35-yard-line from Brady Wahl.
"We've been emphasizing set pieces in practices," Estabrook said. "They (Johnson and Wahl) have a chemistry that's hard to match. Brady serves a great ball and Robbie's a dominant figure in the air."
Geneva (5-6-1) looked like it gave itself some breathing room in the 66th minute when Wahl used his athleticism, going all out to deliver a sliding header, but the 3-1 score lasted all of nine seconds. St. Charles North senior midfielder Matt Rasmussen beat a defender and made it 3-2.
"We had to pause there for a second after that," Johnson said. "We just tried to realize what just happened and refocus."
Johnson ended up being a big part of the team's refocusing as he stepped in front of an errant pass. Johnson pushed the ball ahead to Josh Poythress who returned it back to Johnson, who set up Carlos Gonzalez for the score with 10:37 remaining.
"I was just able to step in front and then move it forward," Johnson said. "Once I got it back from Josh I just fed it right to Carlos."
The Vikings reached their second-highest scoring output of the season (8-0 against Elgin, Aug. 28) with 4:40 remaining when Seamus Kaminski gained possession on the left side of the penalty box and lined a shot just inside the right post.
"We must be scared of Geneva," St. Charles North coach Eric Willson said. "We haven't beaten them in the regular season in at least seven or eight years so tonight's nothing different."
Geneva won last year's meeting 3-1 while the North Stars ended the Vikings season in the 2008 sectional finals.
"We played terribly tonight," Willson said. "Geneva is the biggest rival that we have and to give up five goals is downright embarrassing."
The Vikings, who have five single-goal losses this season, hope this inspires them the remainder of the year.
"Our record hasn't shown our potential and how good we can be," Johnson said. "With the intensity tonight and the atmosphere here, we're hoping this is the turning point of the season and a statement."