St. Charles — A good offense is the best defense.
And in the case of Geneva's Reina Yonehara, that was definitely the case.
The senior defender scored from 35 yards to go and led a defense that held Batavia to just two shots on goal as the Vikings won 2-0 in the Tri-Cities on Tuesday night.
Yonehara said she found open space on the field and, with the wind at her back, sent the ball past the outstretched hands of Batavia goaltender Megan Slaver, giving the Vikings a nice insurance goal with 15 minutes, 14 seconds remaining. Ta.
“I'm glad we were able to take the lead by one more point. We were down by two points, so we had a little bit of leeway,” Yonehara said.
Geneva (8-5, 2-1 Duquesne Conference) also had solid play from its backline all night. Goaltender Jordan Forbes only had two shots on goal all night, and both came in the second half.
Yonehara said, “We played solid team defense, so it was good to see everyone working as a team to get back behind the ball.''
The Vikings took the lead 16 minutes into the game when Audrey Stred took a downfield cross from Caroline Mayden.
Strede, who scored two goals last season in his first game against the Tri-Cities, said those goals were definitely a spark for everyone on the team, especially in a game with such a big rivalry.
“It was awesome,” Strede said. “This environment with so many fans is always great and it was good to get us on the board again.”
Geneva coach Megan Owens said she was happy to get the win on a very important night for Geneva. But even with a win, even a win over a crosstown rival, a coach can never be too satisfied.
“At this point, we're starting to look towards the postseason and trying to elevate and improve and elevate each game,” Owens said. “We want to push them to achieve their best and prepare for the postseason.”
Batavia (6-7-1, 1-3) had a chance to tie the game in the 56th minute when Emma Wecker took a shot that bounced off the crossbar and returned to the field of play.
Batavia coach Mark Gianfrancesco said the Bulldogs need to get healthy again after losing three straight.
“Unfortunately for us, the injuries have really piled up, so that's where we really need to change,” Gianfrancesco said. “We just have to make sure no one gets hurt and get the other girls healthy in time for the playoffs. Once that happens, we can be in business.”