High-flying, high-scoring Geneva on a roll... again

You have to have either a well-developed sense of history of a memory that goes back a way to remember when Geneva had average boys soccer teams.

The Vikings were never really bad. But if you think back more than 15 years, the team was never on par with the top teams in the area.

This year's Geneva team is certainly not an average team by any definition. The Vikings are 14-2-1, sit atop the Western Sun Conference and copped a No. 2 sectional seed behind powerhouse Larkin.

"We're kind of disappointed about the two losses," Geneva senior midfielder Kendal Spurgin said. "I think we should have won both of those games. We kind of fell asleep on dead ball chances in each game and we were punished."

Both losses have come in matches with Larkin. And you'd expect the Vikings to want a rematch - and they do.

"I am kind of looking forward to meeting up with them again," Spurgin said. "I think everyone on our team is."

No one knows if the Vikings will get their third matchup with Larkin. But they certainly have achieved much in the first 6 weeks of the season. Last week's 3-1 defeat of Batavia certainly was a high point.

"The Batavia and Geneva rivalry is always huge," Spurgin said. "It always seems that whoever wins that match wins the conference, so there's a lot in the game because of that. It's a rivalry game and you always want to win it."

Batavia pushed the Vikings and led 1-0 at halftime in that match. The Vikings rallied fiercely in the second half.

"This is definitely the most intense and the deepest rivalry that I have been associated with," Geneva coach Ryan Estabrook said. "It doesn't matter what sport or at what level, everyone gets excited when Geneva's playing Batavia. It's a pretty special thing that we have between these schools."

The Batavia-Geneva match was the only time the two longtime rivals meet this year. The Western Sun plays a single-round conference schedule rather than the double-round setup favored by the Suburban Prairie Conference, the league both the Vikings and Bulldogs left three years ago.

And now that the match is over, Estabrook said his hopes turn positive for the fate of Mark Gianfrancesco's very talented bunch.

"We don't have a hatred for Batavia," Estabrook said. "We have a healthy respect for them. When it comes to the postseason, we'll be cheering for them and I know they'll be cheering for us too."

That move to the Western Sun has ended as very beneficial to the teams involved. With half as many conference games, teams can search top-notch nonconference foes. In Geneva's case, that meant a match with St. Charles East.

"It's just a huge rival in many sports for our school," Estabrook said. "It was great to be able to schedule them."

The tougher schedule helps Geneva find its weaknesses, as opposed to a poor schedule which allows a larger number of victories but no real tests. So when Estabrook assesses the positives and negatives for his team, he does so knowing both have manifested themselves in his team's play.

"I think we've been able to generate a plethora of scoring opportunities in every game we've played," Estabrook said. "In our last 3 games, we've been able to finish at a high rate as well. That's encouraging that we're finding the mark at the end of the regular season."

There are negatives, though.

"Defensively, I think is our biggest area of concern," Estabrook said. "As a team we need to defend better both up front and in the midfield and in the back as well."

Spurgin has been a great boost for the team this fall. He has played outside back, sweeper and not central midfield for the Vikings.

"Outside back - I like it and I enjoyed it and I got the ball a lot," Spurgin said. "Last year at sweeper? I did it because the team needed it. This year, I'm happy to be back in the middle of the field."

Estabrook loves what Spurgin represents for his team.

"A lot of people come into high school with a notion that they need to play at a certain level or that they need to be on a particular team by a certain age, or it's all not worthwhile.

"(Spurgin) played on the freshman team his freshman year. He had success, but he also used it as a time to work on his weaknesses. He was ready to come to the varsity team his sophomore year."

Spurgin's improvement has not stopped as his career has continued. He is now part of the state's Olympic Development Team for his age group.

When asked what he would like his team to accomplish before his high school career ends, Spurgin said "win a state championship" in much the same way a good student says "I want to get an A on a test."

"Isn't that everyone's goal?" Spurgin said. "I think that's what everyone on our team is thinking. We have the team and the ability. It's a matter of going and getting it done."

And if that wished-for matchup with Larkin doesn't materialize, or if it ends as a third loss to the Royals this season, what then?

"I'd be disappointed but I wouldn't say this season was a disappointment," Spurgin said. "We've accomplished many things."

They certainly have, and this year's Geneva squad can rightly take its place in the now growing list of successful Vikings boys soccer squads.