Being a defender, St. Charles East senior Griffin Counts can relate to the concept that opportunities to score goals are few and far between.
When he had a chance to take a 30-yard shot Tuesday night, Counts left little to chance.
“I came up with the forward and stepped before he got the ball,” Counts said. “I saw an opportunity and I just wanted to hit it, man. I’ve been waiting for that all season.”
Counts’ first goal of the year was part of a barrage that kept the Saints in the DuKane Conference race with a 3-0 victory over host Geneva.
Brandon Pinto and Connor Sychowski also scored goals for St. Charles East (13-6, 4-1), which posted its third straight shutout with the win over Geneva (10-5-2, 4-1-1).
Saints coach Vince DiNuzzo pointed out that Counts just missed a goal over the weekend during the team’s trip to Iowa.
“It was just a centimeter over the crossbar and it looked pretty,” DiNuzzo said. “I’m glad he put that one in.
“Griffin getting forward is obviously a massive asset for us, same thing with (Brandon) Garland on the other side. They put in some good crosses. Griffin had the first assist too. They were effective.”
Pinto’s goal with 24:27 left in the first half gave all the momentum to St. Charles East. Counts followed with 38:20 left in the second half.
It appeared Geneva cleared a corner kick, but the ball was played to Counts, who uncorked his 30-yard rocket into the back of the net.
Sychowski added an insurance goal with 12:55 remaining.
“Connor has been a spark for us,” DiNuzzo said. “He’s been an engine for us all year. He’s been like a lot of guys — just close to scoring.
“That’s why we’re seeing a lot of 1-0 losses. We were missing those chances. We were able to convert some of them (Tuesday).”
Geneva was on a roll coming into the game, going 6-0-1 in its last seven. But after a strong start, the Vikings couldn’t find a way to come back.
“The goal turned the game for us and the boys’ response wasn’t good enough,” Geneva coach Jason Bhatta said. “The heads went down, after the second one especially, and that was that.”
Counts and Co. also took care things defensively. Geneva didn’t have a shot on goal in the second half.
“Our back four have been dominant all year,” Counts said. “That’s probably our strongest characteristic of our team — our back four. The communication was on point.”
Counts acknowledged the team bonding St. Charles East experienced over the weekend paid immediate dividends Tuesday.
“We needed it for sure,” Counts said. “There was some tension between kids before the trip, for sure. People were blaming others. That trip, everyone was with each other the whole time just bonding.
“It showed. We had kids passing to kids they don’t usually pass to. Everyone was celebrating. We’ve never had celebrations before. It just felt good.”
DiNuzzo said that’s why he continues to schedule the yearly trip, which this time saw the Saints go 2-1.
“It brings us together,” DiNuzzo said. “Playing for St. Charles East, with the history the program has, it’s very stressful for the kids.
“Getting to go out there and play some different competition and kind of reset the engine, it’s a big help.”
The Saints will look to keep it going Thursday against one of the state’s best teams in Naperville North.
With the shutout streak in their back pocket, though, Counts thinks the Saints have turned the corner.
“We’re a team now,” Counts said.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
