There was plenty of disappointment on the field after the Rochelle varsity boys soccer team’s first encounter with Geneseo this season, but the rematch resulted in nothing but excitement and exuberance for the purple and white.
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GENESEO — There was plenty of disappointment on the field after the Rochelle varsity boys soccer team’s first encounter with Geneseo this season, but the rematch resulted in nothing but excitement and exuberance for the purple and white.
Rochelle traveled to face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday looking to avenge their 2-2 draw against Geneseo earlier this year. Behind three first-half goals and a defensive shutout led by senior goalie Mason DeLille, the Hubs burned the Maple Leafs 3-0 on their home field, clinching Rochelle’s first conference championship rights since 2004 in the process.
“It felt great and it was such a big game for our team,” DeLille said. “We knew that game was going to mean so much to all of us, especially our seniors. We kept our communication going throughout the game, and Geneseo has a bunch of really fast guys so all we had to do was keep talking and we were able to shut them down.”
Junior Austin Brown gave Rochelle the early advantage with a goal on senior Jessee Infante’s assist in the sixth minute. The Hubs immediately added to their lead when Infante scored on senior Adolfo Flores’ corner kick in the sixth minute. Rochelle and Geneseo then went scoreless for 30 minutes until sophomore Brayan Orozco cashed in on a breakaway and put the Hubs up by three goals in the 36th minute.
Both teams entered the game with 5-0-1 records in conference play, and as the second half progressed, the physicality from both sides increased dramatically. However, the Hubs managed to hold on for their 10th shutout victory of the season, setting up a Northern Illinois Big 12 West finale on Senior Night against Sterling. Rochelle improved to 15-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in conference play with the win over Geneseo.
“We need to play every game like it’s our last,” DeLille said. “We’re going to leave everything we have on the field and it’s going to take a great team effort.”
