Waubonsie beats Oswego,
takes third in own event
Hosts can't catch Batavia despite come-from behind win
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- At the very least, seniors always want their last home match to be a victory.
That motivation and a matter of pride fueled Waubonsie Valley to pull off a 2-1 victory over a determined Oswego crew in Saturday’slast day of the Warrior Tournament.
After opening the six-school event with a 4-0 loss to Batavia, Waubonsie Valley knew keeping the trophy from its 2014 invitational would require a mathematical miracle.
However, the Warriors channeled their frustration into claiming their final two tournament games as part of a current three-match win streak. The day after the loss to the Bulldogs, Waubonsie Valley kept Neuqua Valley from claiming the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division with an unbeaten record as the Warriors registered a 2-0 “upset.”
Then came a 2-1 second-round tourney triumph over Metea Valley followed by the conquest of Oswego. Saturday's outcome was perhaps more a credit to the goaltending of Eddie Sanchez – Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match – than Leo Mendoza’s two goals.
The last two successes enabled Waubonsie Valley to finish third in its tournament with 10 points. Wins were worth three points, ties equaled one point, a shutout gained an extra point, plus one point was awarded for each goal scored up to a maximum of four.
Batavia amassed 22 of the maximum possible 24 points thanks to its success against the Warriors, Hinsdale South (4-1) plus Metea Valley (3-0) on Saturday. Lemont compiled 12 points for second, Oswego was fourth (seven points), Hinsdale South fifth (six points) and Metea was sixth (two points).
Coming off a scoreless draw with Lemont, Oswego dominated the initial 20 minutes of the opening half. Ryan Baumann just missed the upper left corner four-plus minutes into the match. Juan Carlos Mora’s right-wing rocket had to be knocked wide by Sanchez for a corner. Joseph Jasman’s direct kick was snared by Sanchez, and Panther Carlos Contreras misfired to the left of the goal. The host Warriors offense to that point was limited to a Justin Damon long shot that sailed over the crossbar.
"Quite honestly, I thought we outplayed them,” Oswego coach Brian Falli insisted. “We created chances but didn’t finish them. Things just would not go our way.”
Having survived the early onslaught, Waubonsie Valley mounted an attack from the left by Drew Valek and a wicked curve toward the left post, both stopped by Panthers goalie Nicholas Kearns. But the sophomore keeper had no chance with 3:50 remaining before halftime when Henry Zehnal’s through ball turned into a five-yard score by Mendoza.
“It all started with our back line getting the ball to Henry, who played a long ball into open space. Their defender thought it was going out, but I slid into it, jumped back up and saw open space,” Mendoza recalled. “When I cut inside, I added a fake and then left-footed it home. It felt so good because I’ve been trying to improve my left, so scoring that way made it sweeter.”
Oswego’s Jasman tried for an equalizer just 1:17 prior to halftime, but Sanchez clutched the 10-yard blast.
The second half began with a pair of Waubonsie Valley tries sailing too high before a scramble in front resulted in Jasman making a defensive save off the goal line to avoid a two-goal deficit. That energized Oswego, as Rodolfo Moreno had a shot blocked by Sanchez and a followup by Mitchel Kearby went high.
But with 27:08 remaining, Kearby earned an assist for a seven-yard equalizer from Jasman, nicknamed “Bama” because he's a transfer from the Yellowhammer State.
“Mitch was making a run with the ball and kept drawing defenders, so it was the kind of cross we practice a lot. It was an easy finish,” Jasman said.
The Panthers had a Michael Simmons right side long bomb snared by Sanchez before Mora and Contreras had shots tail high or wide. There was 14:57 left when Simmons set up Contreras for a header that Sanchez caught. Two minutes later, Sanchez made dramatic back-to-back rejections of shots by Mora and Contreras.
“Goalkeeping is all about reacting. Initially after a stop or block, you have to expect you’re not done. You cannot second-guess yourself, just get ready again,” Sanchez explained. “Unlike turf fields, you can’t assume any shot will bounce the same way, so the key is reaction. Once the ball is cleared beyond the 18 box, then you take a deep breath.”
That was the case with time ticking down to 6:11 when Christian Anaya came from the left side and struck another shot that required Sanchez to collect a slight rebound. He certainly breathed easier when Waubonsie Valley finally went on the offensive. The Warriors’ Jon Braun crossed a ball that Valek headed off with enough power to produce a loose ball from Kearns, and Mendoza pounced for a 2-1 lead with 4:55 to play.
“Seeing Braun taking it toward the flat, we were calling for a cross. Drew’s header could only be tip-saved, so the putback was simple,” Mendoza said. “It was important to us to come back from that first (tourney) loss. And we wanted the seniors’ last match on this field to be more memorable with a victory.”
The remaining time saw Oswego pressing forward on every chance, and Sanchez had to make another highlight-worthy save following a Blake Kearby curving shot with 1:13 remaining.
“It wasn’t a surprise to see (Sanchez) being so clutch,” Garcia said. “He’s been handling the pressure all year. It’s a great win for him and our other seniors. (As for Mendoza’s goals), he’s always in the right position. He’s such a hustler; that first goal was all hustle. I’m glad he’s a junior.”
Following the scoreless draw with Lemont, plus a disappointing penalty kick shootout loss in league play, Oswego is now on a seven-match winless streak (0-6-1) heading into Tuesday’s home and regular-season finale against rival Oswego East.
“We never gave up, that’s for certain,” Falli said. “Blake and Luke (Moran) were once again solid in midfield. Offensively and defensively, we hung with a really good team. We have a big game Tuesday and then everyone is 0-0 to start the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
G Nicholas Kearns
D Rodolfo Moreno
D Michael Simmons
D Steven Strange
M Christian Anaya
M Blake Kearby
M Luke Moran
M Evan Dann
F Ryan Baumman
F Joseph Jasman
F Juan Carlos Mora
Waubonsie Valley
G Eddie Sanchez
D Rogello Grimaldo
D Jeff Ito
D Tyler Barker
D Jason Wolfe
M Justin Damon
M Henry Zehnal
M Stephan Spano
F Jon Braun
F Drew Valek
F Leo Mendoza
Man of the Match: Eddie Sanchez, Waubonsie Valley
Referees: Mike Lichtfuss, John Wilson, Curt Wegner
takes third in own event
Hosts can't catch Batavia despite come-from behind win
By Steve Nemeth
AURORA -- At the very least, seniors always want their last home match to be a victory.
That motivation and a matter of pride fueled Waubonsie Valley to pull off a 2-1 victory over a determined Oswego crew in Saturday’slast day of the Warrior Tournament.
After opening the six-school event with a 4-0 loss to Batavia, Waubonsie Valley knew keeping the trophy from its 2014 invitational would require a mathematical miracle.
However, the Warriors channeled their frustration into claiming their final two tournament games as part of a current three-match win streak. The day after the loss to the Bulldogs, Waubonsie Valley kept Neuqua Valley from claiming the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division with an unbeaten record as the Warriors registered a 2-0 “upset.”
Then came a 2-1 second-round tourney triumph over Metea Valley followed by the conquest of Oswego. Saturday's outcome was perhaps more a credit to the goaltending of Eddie Sanchez – Chicagoland Soccer's Man of the Match – than Leo Mendoza’s two goals.
The last two successes enabled Waubonsie Valley to finish third in its tournament with 10 points. Wins were worth three points, ties equaled one point, a shutout gained an extra point, plus one point was awarded for each goal scored up to a maximum of four.
Batavia amassed 22 of the maximum possible 24 points thanks to its success against the Warriors, Hinsdale South (4-1) plus Metea Valley (3-0) on Saturday. Lemont compiled 12 points for second, Oswego was fourth (seven points), Hinsdale South fifth (six points) and Metea was sixth (two points).
Coming off a scoreless draw with Lemont, Oswego dominated the initial 20 minutes of the opening half. Ryan Baumann just missed the upper left corner four-plus minutes into the match. Juan Carlos Mora’s right-wing rocket had to be knocked wide by Sanchez for a corner. Joseph Jasman’s direct kick was snared by Sanchez, and Panther Carlos Contreras misfired to the left of the goal. The host Warriors offense to that point was limited to a Justin Damon long shot that sailed over the crossbar.
"Quite honestly, I thought we outplayed them,” Oswego coach Brian Falli insisted. “We created chances but didn’t finish them. Things just would not go our way.”
Having survived the early onslaught, Waubonsie Valley mounted an attack from the left by Drew Valek and a wicked curve toward the left post, both stopped by Panthers goalie Nicholas Kearns. But the sophomore keeper had no chance with 3:50 remaining before halftime when Henry Zehnal’s through ball turned into a five-yard score by Mendoza.
“It all started with our back line getting the ball to Henry, who played a long ball into open space. Their defender thought it was going out, but I slid into it, jumped back up and saw open space,” Mendoza recalled. “When I cut inside, I added a fake and then left-footed it home. It felt so good because I’ve been trying to improve my left, so scoring that way made it sweeter.”
Oswego’s Jasman tried for an equalizer just 1:17 prior to halftime, but Sanchez clutched the 10-yard blast.
The second half began with a pair of Waubonsie Valley tries sailing too high before a scramble in front resulted in Jasman making a defensive save off the goal line to avoid a two-goal deficit. That energized Oswego, as Rodolfo Moreno had a shot blocked by Sanchez and a followup by Mitchel Kearby went high.
But with 27:08 remaining, Kearby earned an assist for a seven-yard equalizer from Jasman, nicknamed “Bama” because he's a transfer from the Yellowhammer State.
“Mitch was making a run with the ball and kept drawing defenders, so it was the kind of cross we practice a lot. It was an easy finish,” Jasman said.
The Panthers had a Michael Simmons right side long bomb snared by Sanchez before Mora and Contreras had shots tail high or wide. There was 14:57 left when Simmons set up Contreras for a header that Sanchez caught. Two minutes later, Sanchez made dramatic back-to-back rejections of shots by Mora and Contreras.
“Goalkeeping is all about reacting. Initially after a stop or block, you have to expect you’re not done. You cannot second-guess yourself, just get ready again,” Sanchez explained. “Unlike turf fields, you can’t assume any shot will bounce the same way, so the key is reaction. Once the ball is cleared beyond the 18 box, then you take a deep breath.”
That was the case with time ticking down to 6:11 when Christian Anaya came from the left side and struck another shot that required Sanchez to collect a slight rebound. He certainly breathed easier when Waubonsie Valley finally went on the offensive. The Warriors’ Jon Braun crossed a ball that Valek headed off with enough power to produce a loose ball from Kearns, and Mendoza pounced for a 2-1 lead with 4:55 to play.
“Seeing Braun taking it toward the flat, we were calling for a cross. Drew’s header could only be tip-saved, so the putback was simple,” Mendoza said. “It was important to us to come back from that first (tourney) loss. And we wanted the seniors’ last match on this field to be more memorable with a victory.”
The remaining time saw Oswego pressing forward on every chance, and Sanchez had to make another highlight-worthy save following a Blake Kearby curving shot with 1:13 remaining.
“It wasn’t a surprise to see (Sanchez) being so clutch,” Garcia said. “He’s been handling the pressure all year. It’s a great win for him and our other seniors. (As for Mendoza’s goals), he’s always in the right position. He’s such a hustler; that first goal was all hustle. I’m glad he’s a junior.”
Following the scoreless draw with Lemont, plus a disappointing penalty kick shootout loss in league play, Oswego is now on a seven-match winless streak (0-6-1) heading into Tuesday’s home and regular-season finale against rival Oswego East.
“We never gave up, that’s for certain,” Falli said. “Blake and Luke (Moran) were once again solid in midfield. Offensively and defensively, we hung with a really good team. We have a big game Tuesday and then everyone is 0-0 to start the playoffs.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
G Nicholas Kearns
D Rodolfo Moreno
D Michael Simmons
D Steven Strange
M Christian Anaya
M Blake Kearby
M Luke Moran
M Evan Dann
F Ryan Baumman
F Joseph Jasman
F Juan Carlos Mora
Waubonsie Valley
G Eddie Sanchez
D Rogello Grimaldo
D Jeff Ito
D Tyler Barker
D Jason Wolfe
M Justin Damon
M Henry Zehnal
M Stephan Spano
F Jon Braun
F Drew Valek
F Leo Mendoza
Man of the Match: Eddie Sanchez, Waubonsie Valley
Referees: Mike Lichtfuss, John Wilson, Curt Wegner