New-look Geneva soccer drops season opener to Neuqua Valley

GENEVA – Geneva got off to a rough start, surrendering an own goal against Neuqua Valley just a few minutes into the action of Monday’s season opener.

The Vikings never recovered, losing 6-0 at Burgess Field in Geneva.

“We graduated most of our starting lineup and only have two starters returning (Audrey Stredde and Riley Pryor) so we’re young,” Vikings coach Megan Owens said. “And it was our first game. I mean, in a way we beat ourselves tonight. We kind of panicked and they capitalized.”

Sophomore midfielder Olivia Pohlman, junior forward Tegan Modjeski and junior goalkeeper Sophie Peruba were among Geneva’s newcomers who were in the starting lineup.

“We have a whole new group of girls with few returners,” Geneva senior defender Elle Larsen said. “As one of the returners it’s our responsibility to step up and really show we’re in it together as a team and you can’t get down on each other. We have a really good group of girls and have a desire to win. It’s more about focusing on working together as opposed to tearing each other apart more.”

Neuqua Valley (1-0) jumped ahead 2-0 not even six minutes into the action after Marquette recruit Alessandra Russo sent a cross across traffic within the box to fellow junior Alexis May who finished it with a little help from sophomore attacking midfielder Miabella Kraai.

“I saw Alexis (May), like I could see out of the corner of my eye before I got the ball,” Russo said. “I kind of thought if I got the ball now early, where do I put it? So the ball came to me, I one-touched it through the defenders and then I saw Mia (Kraai) run through and Alexis told me that Mia had called herself off the ball and kind of dummied it and Alexis was able to get the shot.”

Senior Selma Larbi, committed to Yale, made it 3-0 in the 14th minute, firing in a shot from near the top of the box.

“I think the goal for the team is to just start off the game very aggressive,” Larbi said. “We have a really young team, but that means they’re healthy and they’re fast. And we want to use that youth to kind of make sure that every game we’re pounding them in the chest so we can get goals on the board early on, just like now, and calm down the rest of the game.”

Junior holding midfielder Sydney Michalak certainly didn’t hold back when she smashed in a 30-yard shot on a pass from Kraai to make it 4-0 mere seconds after Larbi had reached the back of the net.

“Mia hit a ball across the field over to me and I took a touch and shot it and it went bang and hit the top right corner,” Michalak said. “I think we started out pretty good. I hope the rest of our season goes even better than this. A lot of our players are back and we have about five new players and they’re all real strong so we’re pretty excited.”

Some of those newcomers combined for the team’s fifth game as a pair of freshmen connected with 15:32 left in the first half. Left wing Camille Davis sent the ball into the box where Samantha Latawiec was there to finish it.

Geneva (0-1) yielded another own goal with 12:43 left in the game.

The Vikings didn’t create many chances.

Sophomore Claire Reeve had one of Geneva’s better offensive threats in the 75th minute, but her shot was punched out.

“We got everybody in, got a look at everybody and that’s what it’s about early in the season,” Owens said. “We just opened against a very good team, which we had a tough battle with last year, too. We knew they were going to be good.”

Last year, the Vikings beat the Wildcats, 1-0.