Girls soccer: Dominguez hat trick boosts Geneva past Streamwood
Too bad girls soccer is unlike hockey because if fans would have thrown caps onto the field to celebrate Kyleigh Dominguez's hat trick, she and her Geneva teammates would have been inclined to wear them for warmth.
On a Monday night when the temperature left everyone as chilled as an ice rink, the host Vikings remained undefeated and pronounced the evening mission accomplished when it came to victory No. 1 for Upstate Eight River Division play with a 5-1 triumph over visiting Streamwood.
The wind may not have been as excessive as Saturday when Geneva (4-0, 1-0) posted a 3-1 win down south at O'Fallon, but the Vikings knew they were back north when snow flurries could be seen during the first half. For Streamwood (2-3, 0-1), there has yet to be consecutive wins or losses.
Geneva opened the match testing Streamwood goalie Yasmine Resendiz early and often but it took until 16:46 was gone before getting on the board. Dominugez booted a ball at an outrushing Resendiz and the resulting rebound bounced just right for the Viking senior to score into an empty net. The eventual hat trick enabled her to take the team lead in goals scored (five) away from sister Jenna Dominguez (three goals).
"I was focused on pushing through when I saw their goalie come out and the ball ricocheted just right for me making for an easy goal," Dominguez said. "The other two, I believe you really have to credit the assists for making them happen. It feels really good to be 4-0, but there's a lot of season ahead of us. But I believe we have a good group, really athletic and talented, so we simply want to keep it going."
The opportunities kept coming for Geneva while Streamwood's visits past midfield were limited throughout the first half. With 13:56 left before halftime, Maddy Yelle gambled on a 31-yard blast that Resendiz touched but couldn't tip over the crossbar.
The second half was only 26 seconds old when Sydney Gratz sent a textbook through ball forward for Dominguez to catch in stride and fake her way past an outrushing Resendiz for a 3-0 lead. Shortly after that Dominguez had a left-footed rocket that Resendiz caught securely to give the Sabres a positive jolt.
At the opposite end of the field Alondra Blanco's pass created an opportunity for Michaela Gundersen to knock home a four-yarder making it 3-1 with 27:08 left in regulation. That was Gundersen's first goal of the year and Blanco's team-high fourth assist.
"Alondra saw their keeper was moving up and gave a high cross, and I got past the one defender to get the goal," Gundersen said. "We need to keep talking to each other more to take advantage of the chances we get."
First-year Streamwood coach Kristin Duffy saw that as an example of one area of continued improvement by the Sabres.
"Our communication today was much better and we passed the ball pretty well," Duffy said. "We need to keep building off the positives. Despite the score, I thought (sweeper) Esmeralda (Navarro) played well and Yasmine stepped up on so many challenges, without her the difference would have been greater."
Geneva certainly went back on offense and less than three minutes later, Allie Mikos was the first half of a combination assist as she set Maddy Rapach-Lagowski off on a breakaway to the right before she fed Dominguez on the left for a seven-yard finish. Rapach-Lagowski capped off the scoring with 6:25 left.
"I was pleased with how much offense we created," Geneva coach Megan Owens said. "Granted I want us to focus on better finishes and prefer a shutout on defense, but considering how cold it was, they stayed focused on playing. Maddie (Parise) had a good night on defense."
Veteran goalie Emma Harkleroad was able to shake off the frustration of not getting a third clean sheet knowing the team won its fourth straight.
"I believe our bond as a team is a whole lot stronger and overall, we're clicking as a unit," Harkleroad said. "I'd have preferred a shutout, but it feels like my fingers are frozen. Being a goalie can be hard on any net because you have to be ready instantly, but on a cold night like this when you're not moving that much, it sometimes feels like even your muscles don't respond when you don't get to move much."