Boys soccer: Geneva's resurgence continues with UEC River win over Batavia

Rebounding isn't just reserved for basketball teams.

Geneva's boys soccer team continued its rebound from a slow start to the season Tuesday night.

Junior Ethan Norman scored the game's lone goal midway through the first half as the Vikings (7-5-2, 2-1) edged Upstate Eight Conference River Division rival Batavia (3-8-2, 0-4-1) 1-0 at Burgess Field.

With the win, the Vikings extended their unbeaten string to 7 games - 6-0-1.

"We keep talking about two words - grit and focus," said Vikings coach Ryan Estabrook. "Early in the year, we might show one of those during a game but unless you have both, it's really hard to compete against top-quality programs.

"I think we've figured it out and have put together a lot of quality minutes on the field."

Norman notched his second goal of the season, sending a low 25-yard blast into the left side of the net in the 21st minute.

"I think we created a lot of great chances in the beginning," said Norman. "We pressured them right from the start."

Two minutes after the Vikings' goal, the Bulldogs experienced a pair of near misses in their comeback attempt.

First, Geneva defender Josh Hays kicked away a shot by Batavia's Ben Huber at the goalmouth, and a few seconds later, sophomore midfielder Ben Chandler hit the crossbar with another opportunity right in front of the net.

"I thought we responded very well," said Bulldogs coach Mark Gianfrancesco. "That's been all year (narrow misses). We've seen a lot of them."

Geneva junior keeper Jay Bode collected 1 of his 4 saves early in the second half as he dove to his left to thwart Batavia's Brandon Knapp.

The Vikings fought off Batavia's late challenge - including the final 7:47 of the match - following a red card.

Playing a man down wasn't exactly how Estabrook envisioned the game ending but he wasn't surprised by his team's result.

"Normally what happens when a team goes down a player is the team that is down a player plays harder," said Estabrook. "Our guys definitely did that. We disagreed with the sending off (of the player) but we played with more passion yet we were still under control."

Senior defender Matthew Sweet was pleased his team escaped with the victory.

"The key for us in that spot is to find a way to win the game," said Sweet. "We faced adversity. We just had to stay confident in ourselves. We knew we could get through with 10 guys and we did it."

Geneva hopes to continue its hot streak Thursday at home against St. Charles North.

"We're finding ways to win games and we're coming together, which is great," said Sweet.

Treven Ritko-Siros made 4 saves for Batavia.

"I'd say we had the better run of play in the second half even before the red card," said Gianfrancesco. "We've been playing well and not getting the result we've wanted. We'll reset our goals these last six games.

"At this point, the record means nothing. We're gearing up for the playoffs."