Geneva’s senior forward, Gabe Barwiolek, knew he needed to take on a larger scoring role this season. Last year, Caleb Kelly and Ben Murphy scored a combined 39 goals for the team, leaving Barwiolek as the top returning scorer with six goals. Fully aware of this challenge, Barwiolek stated, “I don’t feel pressure. I know I need to have high expectations for myself, and I didn’t reach that last year. This is the year.”
Blake Hughes, in his first season as Geneva’s coach, witnessed Barwiolek’s promising performance during Thursday’s game. Barwiolek scored three minutes into the season opener against Waubonsie Valley and later secured a victory with a penalty kick in the second half. Geneva won the nonconference game 2-1, with Waubonsie’s Yasser Gomez scoring the opposing team’s goal.
Coach Hughes emphasized Barwiolek’s importance to the team. “He’s fantastic,” Hughes said. “After a summer training in Spain, he’s ready to play here. If we don’t have him going, we’re probably a lesser team. It’s pretty fantastic to have that.”
Barwiolek described his excitement about his initial goal, saying, “I saw a header and saw it land by my feet, and I just heard ‘shoot,’ so I shot it with my left foot and it went in. It felt amazing.”
The Warriors, led by coach Jose Garcia, tied the game when Gomez struck near the net. Garcia praised Gomez’s energy and ball control, calling him “an Energizer Bunny.”
Latterly, Barwiolek confidently executed a penalty kick after a foul in the box, securing the win for his team. Coach Hughes commented on Barwiolek’s soccer intelligence, impressed by his technical skills and game awareness. “He moves side to side really well and understands where to go. It’s fantastic to see that.”
In Thursday’s game, Barwiolek demonstrated the leadership and skill expected by Hughes, particularly after participating in the Soccer Dreams Travel Pro Tour in Spain over the summer. Barwiolek reminisced, “It felt amazing, just getting that experience… I made more memories.”
The season opener set the tone that Coach Hughes hopes to see continue. “Where do you get the goals from?” he queried. “Last year, they scored over 70 goals in 24 games. He has to score 25 this year for us to have a great season.”
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