Boys soccer: Diaz scores twice in Geneva's win over Marmion
Christian Diaz had somewhat flown under the radar during summer as an incoming Geneva sophomore.
He's certainly got Vikings coach Jason Bhatta's full attention now.
Diaz scored twice in his debut to lead Geneva to a 3-0 victory over Marmion in Tuesday's nonconference game at Burgess Field in Geneva.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at Marmion, but its natural grass field was unplayable so the game was moved to the turf in Geneva.
"Christian stepped up and had a great game," Bhatta said. "He had been kind of under my radar in the beginning of the summer, but he got a bunch of games and camps in and he showed that he deserved a spot. To get two goals in his debut was awesome."
Although they didn't know it at the time, the Vikings got all the scoring they would need when Joshua Eiss scored on an own goal with 20:50 left to play in the first half.
"It feels great to be out here with a whole new team and I think we have a lot better team than last year," Eiss said. "I think we're going to be a much better team so just getting back on the field is exciting for me."
Chemistry seemed to be the buzzword among the Vikings after the victory, and they played selfless soccer, supporting each other for the good of the team, and saw their actions rewarded with a victory, and a particularly huge night for Diaz.
"He's only a sophomore and there he is with two goals," Eiss said. "This is exactly who we are. Everyone is sharp and good and once we got on the field we were ready to play."
Underclassmen can be stars at the high school level, but even the best of them have their inexperienced, nervous moments. Diaz didn't appear to have one on Tuesday.
"Coming out as a sophomore on the varsity team after being on the freshman team doesn't usually happen," he said. "I just came out and played my game. I felt confident. I think we all did and we just played our game."
Marmion's failure to clear a dangerous ball near the sideline led to Geneva's second goal as it ultimately landed in front of Geneva junior Dominick Peri who crossed it to Diaz.
"You have to be ready for the second ball and Dom (Peri) was ready for it," Diaz said. "He took a touch and crossed it just like we've been practicing and coach has been showing us, and I was in the middle because I'm a nine, and went up for the ball and got it with my head. I tried to go for the far post where the goalie wasn't at and he only got a little touch on it."
Diaz found the back of the net again with 17:58 left to play in the second half when he tapped in a corner kick from senior Shun Yonehara.
Marmion created few scoring chances and really didn't get to see what it will be working with this fall as they were without two of its best players in Tyler Laurich and CJ Sowers in the lineup. The good news is they will both be back soon.
"They're big losses because there's a lot of experience there, but it's a long season and it was good to see our young guys," Cadets coach Jimmy Romano said. "These first couple games are a learning experience, including for the coaching staff to see who can step up for the key players we lost last year. It's going to be a season of learning and growing and hopefully we get it right at the end of the year."