Fantastic End Game!

In a Fantastic End Game! With Epic Battles! There was a Perfect Finish! As the Wheaton North Falcons upset Geneva 10-9 on Wednesday night at Viking Stadium in a Dukane Conference showdown, sure to develop into an epic rivalry. Geneva had beaten Wheaton Warrenville South and Schaumburg, both teams North lost to, and had only lost to St. Charles North in comparitative games. So it was a stunning victory, with North sending the Geneva fans home bewildered and wondering what happened! But #3 Matt Gemkow for the Falcons (3g, 3a - and 5 take aways) took charge of the universe, running out the 48 second clock, along with Kaiden Libby, under heavy Geneva pressure, concluding the stunning of the Vikings, after Geneva had jumped out to a 4-2 half time lead. North's defense, led by Sophomore Hudson Moss and Senior Isaac Nolan (3gb) did the job, as the Freshman FOS Kaiden Libby wins the last draw, allowing the offense to take control of the game - and draw it to a perfect close! North's attackman, Matt Gemkow was on a mission, to raise his team to life, and so along with North's key connector, Braden Aguiar, who has solved North's early season clearing issues, North was able to transition the ball from box to box effectively, allowing the Falcon's powerful attack, to lift everyone up. Saves WN - 29 - Skyler Weil - Sr - 10 saves on 26 shots Gen - 20 - Garrett McPheron - Sr. 5 saves on 24 shots Face Off WN - #15 Kaiden Libby - Fr - Middy FOS - 10 wins on 19 attempts WN - #4 Braden Aguiar - Jr. Middy FOS - 0 wins on 1 attempt WN - #18 Hudson Moss - So Defense - 0 wins on 1 attempt Gen - #13 Jake Costello - Jr LSM/FOS - 11 wins on 17 attempts Gen - # 23 Jack Koniak - Sr. Middy/FOS - 0 wins on 5 attempts Team WN - 34 GBs, 11 clears on 17 attempts, 24 shots Gen - 24 GBs, 11 clears on 17 attempts, 26 shots WN 2 - Matt Gemkow - Jr. Attack - (3g,3a) - 9 GBs, 5 TA, 6 shots 17- Ben Farraday - Sr. Attack - (2g) - 2 GBs, 1 TA, 3 shots 3 - Alex Blum - Sr. Attack - (2g) - 2 GBs, 1 TO, 6 shots 15 - Kaiden Libby - Fr. Midfield (1g,1a) - 6 GBs, 1 TA, 1 shot 23 - Tate Moorehouse - Sr. Midfield (1g,1a) - 2 GBs, 1 TO, 4 shots 28 - Will Clemens - Sr. Attack - (1g) - 2 GBs, 2 TO, 4 shots 9 - Nic Richardson - Jr. Attack - (1a) - 1 shot 4 - Braden Aguiar - Jr. Midfield - 5 GBs, 2 TA, 1 TO 1 - Isaac Nolen - Sr. Defense - 3 GBs 10 - Parker Haney - Jr. Midfield - 2 GBs, 1 TA 30 - Haven Hoffenkamp - Sr. Defense - 1 GB 18 - Hudson Moss - So. Defense - 1 TA, 1 TO 29 - Skyler Weil - Sr. Goalie - 1 GB, 1 TO Gen 12 - John Marietti - Fr. Attack - (3g,1a) 14 - Peter Fisher - So. Attack - (1g,1a) 30 - David Anderson - Sr. Midfield - (1g) 16 - Clark Giansanti - So. Midfield - (1g) 6 - Jameson Shanahan - Sr. Midfield - (1g) 23 - Jack Konicek - Sr. Midield - (1g) 28 - Logan Pierini - So. Attack - (1g) 24 - Harrison Walker - Sr. Attack - (1a) Gemkow had the singular goal for North in the first quarter, as Geneva with a pair from Freshman John Marietti, and one from Senior David Anderson, grabbed an early 3-1 lead. Gemkow found Tate Moorhouse in the second for North's only score, while Geneva's Sophomore Middy Clark Giansanti beat North's Weil to put Geneva up 4-2 after two. Then came a Libby-Gemkow combo to open up the third, and after that a Gemkow solo, as well as a Gemkow-Farraday super punch. Junior Attack Nic Richarson joined in, finding Farraday for the Falcon's sixth goal. Tate Moorhouse hit Alex Blum for the seventh, and Kaiden Libby made a solo run for the lead...momentarily. But Geneva was not idle in the third, with Marietti scoring and then assisting Sophomore Peter Fisher for their own sixth score. Sr. Attackman Harrison Walker assisted Sophomore Logan Pierini for the seventh Geneva goal, and Sr Midfield Jack Konicek beat Weil for the Viking's eighth, setting up the final draws of the fourth quarter. Libby beat Geneva's powerful LSM/FOS Jake Costello with the help of his wingman, Junior Midfielder, Braden Aguiar, who was outstanding on clears and ground balls all day, which led to a Gemkow to Clemens combo, that put North up once again. A second North Face off win and the ball to Alex Blum, and North was up 10-8 with just a few minutes left in the game. But Geneva had begun to press North, and to take charge defensively, and when Costello managed a face off win, it seemed the momentum had shifted, and then with 48 seconds left, Geneva's Senior Midfielder, Jameson Shanahan, found a weakness, and Geneva had pulled within one. 48 Seconds in lacrosse is an eternity, as a team could literally score 5 points in that amount of time, if they won each face off. So, as Libby and Costello both positioned themselves for the draw, each knew the game was on the line. Speed or power? That is the question. Geneva needed to win - and Libby knew the powerful clamp of Costello was coming. A jam will beat a clamp. A lazer will beat the jam, and the clamp will beat the lazer. However, Costello was a powerful LSM/FOS who had a great clamp, and so, jamming him, Libby gained the draw - grabbing the ground ball and swinging it around to Gemkow, who so many times, growing up in the Wheaton Park district, had finished a game under pressure, by owning the back of the goal, as his domain. It was a textbook finish, with Geneva, to their credit, riding Gemkow well, while also covering North's other attackmen. Many would have folded under the double, or tried to shoot to get the pressure off, or would have just lost the ball, but not Matt Gemkow, not on this night, and not in this game. He had scored or assisted in every quearter, and so, appropriately, as he drew the pressure, he popped the ball back out to Libby, who controlled the ball for the final seconds of the game, completing the mission, of restoring North as a competitive entity in the Dukane Conference. A lacrosse team is perhaps best evaluated by its one point games, and so on a Thursday night in Geneva, the Falcons not only established their place in the new world of the Dukane Conference, but they also demonstrated that they are developing into a pretty good team, as they are now 2-1 when the game comes down to the final moments of play, and there is a need for some guardians of the galaxy. In these situations, no worries, North has Gemkow and company to protect the lead.