Girls soccer: Jane Rogers’ long strike sends Wheaton North past Geneva to first sectional final since 2008

SOUTH ELGIN — Jane Rogers had the ball at her feet, and more than enough wind to her back.

After getting the ball with 7:30 left in the first half Tuesday, Wheaton North’s leading goal scorer took a chance to survey the field about 30 yards out.

After finding her shot, Rogers launched it. Right into the back of the net.

[ Photos: Geneva vs. Wheaton North ]

“The defenders in front of me were leaving space and weren’t stepping to me,” Rogers said. “Once I saw the goal, I had confidence in myself and took a touch to the right and let it fly.”

Rogers’ goal proved to be the difference maker, as the top-seeded Falcons stood strong on defense in the second half to secure a 1-0 victory over fifth-seeded Geneva in the Class 4A South Elgin Sectional semifinal and send Wheaton North into its first sectional final since 2008.

“These girls have more than earned it,” North coach Tim McEvilly said. “They love playing with each other, and I really think it’s that camaraderie and enjoyment they have with each other that allowed us to stick through two different 40-minute games.”

The wind proved to be a big factor in the game as well, reaching up to 25 miles per hour blowing south. Kicks against the wind would stop in mid air, while kicks from the north would sail downfield. And Wheaton North took advantage of it in the first half.

“Us having the wind at our back during the first half was a huge advantage,” Rogers said. “We knew what we were going up against in the second half after seeing how Geneva dealt with it during the first half.”

After having the wind to their backs for the first half of the game, the wind, and the Vikings’ offense, came right for the Falcons (18-2-2) head-on in the second half. But the defense, led by center backs Mira Spillane and Emily Macek, ended up holding down the back line, while goalie Zoey Bohmer held the net down for her third straight shutout.

“They organized the outside backs, the midfielders in front of them were clearly organized and knew what they were doing too,” McEvilly said. “And between everything else, they got us through.”

Wheaton North will face second-seeded St. Charles North in the sectional finals, which are set to take place 6 p.m. Friday at South Elgin. The two teams faced off back on April 4, where the eventual top two teams in the DuKane Conference drew a 1-1 tie at Wheaton North.

“I just want to take a nap, and worry about tomorrow tomorrow,” McEvilly said. “North can compete with any team in the state on any given day, and you’ve got to be highly organized and a little fortunate. So we’ve got to continue to push and and understand our assignments and see what we get out of it.”

Geneva’s season comes to an end with a 13-8-2 record. Vikings coach Megan Owens said that even with the loss, her team played fierce to the bitter end, and she couldn’t be more proud.

“I honestly thought today could have gone either way, but that’s just sports,” Owens said. “I couldn’t have asked my team to play with more grit or more heart. The seniors really wanted to make it at least one more game.”

With the loss, the Vikings will say goodbye to 10 seniors on the squad who have two regional titles to their name. Owens said that she can’t speak higher of her group of seniors, and that they’ll leave a big hole in the program. But she feels confident with the core group that she’ll be returning for success in the future.

“Kids just have to buy in,” Owens said. “It’s hard work, you have to put in the extra work up and beyond practice. You have to put that extra effort in to make it to that next level and that’s what this group did.”