Geneva makes 1 goal stand up against Barrington
There were plenty of firsts for Geneva on Thursday night — but none bigger than the Vikings’ first foray into the semifnals of the prestigious Naperville Invite.
Catherine Allon struck 10 minutes from time, and an inspired Vikings defense kept host Barrington at bay in a 1-0 victory that propelled Geneva (8-3-4) into tonight’s semifinals against No. 1 Neuqua Valley at 7 p.m. at Naperville Central.
The host Filiies (8-5-1), who lost their fourth match of the season by 1 goal, enjoyed the run of play for long stretches in the first half and most of the time after the break. But they were unable to finish a couple of quality chances.
The Vikings scored out of nowhere when the junior Allon, one of just four upperclassmen in Megan Owens’ first 11, redirected the game-winner just under the bar at 70 minutes.
“Barrington was so good in its attack with three up top, and there were times when they were really pushing their attack down our throats,” Owens said. “But our ability to defend as a team, and especially along the back, really said a lot about our players and how they responded to playing a different position because of injuries.”
“This is the farthest this team has gone in this tournament in our 6 years and also the first time we’ve ever beaten Barrington, and I can say that all of us really wanted this game tonight, and we did everything we needed to do to win,” said junior Kristin Rodriguez, who alongside Allon was a key figure in the middle for the Vikings.
Fillies sophomore striker Molly Pfeiffer shielded her marker before shooting just over the bar at 23 minutes. Minutes later, teammates Sarah Fox and Emily Hyde initiated a chance for Aimee Pierce which forced Vikings keeper Victoria Fortney into a save from in close.
“We were involved in 20 (1-goal) games last year, so this year seems like deja vu all over again,” said Fillies coach Ryan Stengren.
Just minutes after intermission, early Fillies pressure nearly resulted in the first goal when Morgan Stachura set Hyde free down the right side. The senior tricked her way past a Vikings defender along the end line. Hyde’s well-paced pass to the spot found Pfeiffer, but her shot from in close went just wide of the post.
Fortney was superb moments later when she stopped an attempt by Pierce.
The Vikings’ backline trio of Demi Miller, Molly Stanfa and Annie Waldoch stood firm against the Fillies with ferocious tackling and super-glue marking.
“They were very quick as a team, and especially in the back, and they challenged everything in their own end,” Stengren said.
The Fillies mustered up a box full of corners, none of which ended up on frame at Fortney except for a Emmelie Herdes chance that was pushed wide of the post after Mia Calamari’s corner.
A superb serve sent in by Michaela Loebel from the left side found Allon free in the middle long enough for Allon to strike the game-winner over the outstretched gloves of Kelly Pedersen.
“That was just a great goal by Catherine, who has scored in three straight tournament games for us, and obviously,none bigger than this one,” Owens said.
“That’s kind of the way soccer goes sometimes when the other team scores on one of its only chances, but I still thought we played really well tonight, and the only thing negative about the entire match was the result.” Stengren said.