Wheaton Warrenville South chips in to beat Geneva
Their goals might have been a little "weird" looking, but after a couple of disappointing performances Wheaton Warrenville South wasn't about to give back either score in Wednesday's 2-0 victory against visiting Geneva.
"We've been flat in scoring, and those aren't two brilliant goals by any stretch of the imagination," Tigers coach Guy Callipari said. "We did have a couple of chances we could have done better with. But just the fact that we were looking to goal and looking to win, that is the difference today."
Geneva (4-3-1) had the better of possession in the first half and outshot the Tigers 7-3, but the Tigers took a 1-0 lead into halftime when freshman Natalie Jensen lofted a 35-yard shot over Geneva goalkeeper Jenny Lienau and just under the crossbar.
That meant a lot to WW South (6-1-1).
"We were able to at least finish the half knowing that we could go out in the second half a lot stronger and not have to worry about them pushing us so much," Tigers senior Nicole LaPetina said. "It gave us a little bit more confidence and momentum."
The Tigers had the majority of possession in the second half just as the Vikings had in the first, clinching the victory in the 75th minute when LaPetina lofted a left-footed volley toward the net from the top of the penalty area. It arrived in the goal much as Jensen's shot had.
"I saw that Natalie, her goal in the first half was similar and I knew that we just had to get shots on frame," LaPetina said. "Even though it was kind of a weird shot, I took it on frame.
"I was hoping if I got it there the goalie might not be able to get a clean save and we might be able to get strikers there for a rebound."
As simple as it sounds, just putting shots on goal made the difference for WW South.
"One of our shots did find the back of the net," Callipari said of Jensen's goal. "Somebody finally had the wisdom to at least put one on the face and see what happened and it found its way."
It was a tough way to lose for a Geneva club struggling with injuries.
"I don't think the score reflects the game at all," Geneva coach Megan Owens said. "It's just frustrating for the team and the coaches where we're in the game the whole time. We had just as many opportunities and they just had two chip shots that my goalkeeper couldn't get a hand on."
"But we're in it every step of the way. It could've gone either way. I think we put a little bit more pressure on them than they did on us. It's frustrating, but they're a very respectable team. We just hope to learn from that. We play a very, very tough schedule. You can't expect to win them all."