History leads Oswego E. to win vs. S. Elgin
3-2 advantage extends win streak to 6, sets school mark for wins
By Gary Larsen
OSWEGO — With his squad tied 1-1 at halftime against visiting South Elgin on Thursday, Oswego East assistant coach Patrick Molinari had a clear message for his side.
“I believe that 15 wins sets a new program record so I told them that if they wanted to make history, they had to be better in the second half,” Molinari said, “and the kids responded.”
Oswego East (15-5-2) won 3-2 by quickening their speed of play and providing a more oppressive attack against the Storm after intermission.
“We got into the groove and started working better together,” Oswego East senior defender Dawson Johnson said. “We’re more of a second half team, and I don’t know why, but it seems like it’s always been that way.”
Oswego East struck first when Kyle Blasingame took a few touches to his right from 25 yards and saw a seam. His right-footed shot kissed the underside of the crossbar on the finish at nine minutes.
Teammate Michael Waclaw followed that with a good chance in transition that went wide at 11 minutes.
South Elgin’s Jacob Zupan earned a corner kick at 13 minutes and Chris Stanczyk’s ensuing serve found A.J. Kirkby charging the near post, but his header blasted just wide.
South Elgin’s Rolando Martinez ripped a hard shot from the left side to the near post at 17 minutes that Oswego East keeper Xavier Pacheco handled cleanly, and Pacheco made a leaping tip-save over the crossbar on a shot from 25 yards taken by Eduardo Carillo.
South Elgin coach Simon Brinklow implemented a different formation in each half and his side attacked well while playing in a 4-5-1 during the first half. The Storm went to a 4-3-3 in the second half.
“We wanted to get a feel for both formations before (Class 3A regional play) starts next week,” Brinklow said. “And everyone played today, which is important I think. On any given day we can surprise a few teams, so we’ll see what happens next week.”
The 10th-seeded Storm (7-9-3) open regional play against sixth-seed and regional host Guilford in a semifinal match Tuesday.
The Storm pressured well in its final third and tied the game 1-1 at 31 minutes when junior Jackson Lamb crashed the net on a long free kick sent to the goalmouth by junior Jack McCall.
“(Wolves' keeper Pacheco) didn’t catch it all the way,” Lamb said. “The ball kind of bounced out, and I got the rebound.
“I feel like we’re ready for regionals. We’ve played really well, and if we can clean some minor stuff up I think we can make a good push. We’ve worked on getting together, settling down a little bit in formation, and figured out how to play our game plan.”
Oswego East senior captain Ford Frazer put the Wolves up 2-1 at 49 minutes, cleaning up a long free kick taken from near midfield by Johnson that Storm keeper Brian Dykstra initially stopped.
The Wolves went up 3-1 when junior Gabe Jones fought his way past a pair of defenders into the box. The move forced Pacheco off his line and allowed Jones to score from 10 yards at 54 minutes.
“That was an awesome goal,” Molinari said. “He fought through and was able to tap it in. Gabe deserves a lot of credit. He has earned playing time, and he plays hard out there.
“When our backs are against a wall, and we’re feeling pressure from the other team, we tend to respond and that’s what we saw in the second half.”
The Storm cut the Wolves’ lead to 3-2 on a late bomb of a kick taken by sophomore Nick Flores. Flores’ offering from 35 yards soared and flew just under the crossbar finish the day’s scoring.
Both South Elgin goals began with balls sent in from distance.
“We let up an easy goal but that’s something we can clean up and work on,” Johnson said. “We didn’t start the season with a lot of defenders so we had to put people back there who usually don’t play defense.
“I play center mid, but I was forced to move back there and through the course of the year, we’ve been getting better and working well in back.”
Molinari and head coach Steve Szymanski, who is out of action due to surgery to replace a torn hamstring, moved from a flat to a diamond formation in back after a loss to rival Oswego on Sept. 28. The Wolves haven’t lost since, and defensive stopper Mitch Hlavacek has been a vital part of the switch to a sweeper-stopper formation.
Outside defenders Caleb Harris, Juan Manrique, Joey Bavol, and Kevin Moreno have all rotated in and Johnson’s toughness and vision as a sweeper has been an instrumental part of the Wolves’ six-game win streak to end the regular season.
His heady, smart play throughout Thursday’s game earned Johnson the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“Dawson’s a great kid and hands-down one of the best soccer players to come through this program,” Molinari said. “His composure, soccer smarts, and his abilities to be a leader are things you can’t replace.
"I’ll miss all of our seniors, but Dawson I’ve been with for four years. As I’ve watched him grow up, I’ve seen him turn not only into a great soccer player, but an outstanding young man. The way he leads is something you just can’t replace.
“He’s in position a hundred percent of the time. He keeps us glued together back there. I’d definitely describe him as the heart and soul of this team.”
Jones and Leo Lopez led seven bench players off that bench that Molinari applauded after the win.
“A lot of guys that don’t typically see a lot of minutes, but who came out and provided a lot of energy,” Molinari said of the group. “Ultimately it’s a team victory, but I’m really happy with the bench and the way they helped us respond today.”
Brad Allgaeir, Juan Manrique, Nolan Laczynski, Kevin Moreno, and Zach Less all chipped in quality minutes off the bench for the Wolves.
Oswego East is seeded seventh at the Class 3A Naperville North Sectional and open the postseason against 10th-seeded Romeoville in a regional semifinal game Tuesday at Naperville Central.
After tying Romeoville 5-5 through two overtime periods on Sept. 5, the Wolves won on penalty kicks when keeper Nate Huerter stopped Romeoville’s fifth shooter.
“Romeoville is a tough team,” Molinari said. “I’m sure it will be a different type of game, but it should be exciting. I hope it’s a 1-0 or a 2-0 game but we know when we play Romeoville we’ll always get a tough, well-skilled team.”
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK Xavier Pacheco
D Dawson Johnson
D Caleb Harris
D Joey Bavol
D Eric Montano
M Juan Vega
M Ryan Alten
M Andre Casas
M Kyle Blasingame
F Manuel Magana
F Michael Waclaw
South Elgin
GK Brian Dykstra
D Lucas Ruetimann
D Sergio Briones
D Nick Flores
D Elijah Patrick
M AJ Kirby
M Jacob Zupan
M Rolando Martinez
M Anthony Sisler
M Eduardo Carillo
F Chris Stanczyk
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dawson Johnson, sr., D, Oswego East
Scoring summary:
First half
Oswego East — Blasingame (UA)
South Elgin — Lamb (McCall)
Second half
Oswego East — Frazer (Dawson); Jones (UA)
South Elgin — Flores (UA)
3-2 advantage extends win streak to 6, sets school mark for wins
By Gary Larsen
OSWEGO — With his squad tied 1-1 at halftime against visiting South Elgin on Thursday, Oswego East assistant coach Patrick Molinari had a clear message for his side.
“I believe that 15 wins sets a new program record so I told them that if they wanted to make history, they had to be better in the second half,” Molinari said, “and the kids responded.”
Oswego East (15-5-2) won 3-2 by quickening their speed of play and providing a more oppressive attack against the Storm after intermission.
“We got into the groove and started working better together,” Oswego East senior defender Dawson Johnson said. “We’re more of a second half team, and I don’t know why, but it seems like it’s always been that way.”
Oswego East struck first when Kyle Blasingame took a few touches to his right from 25 yards and saw a seam. His right-footed shot kissed the underside of the crossbar on the finish at nine minutes.
Teammate Michael Waclaw followed that with a good chance in transition that went wide at 11 minutes.
South Elgin’s Jacob Zupan earned a corner kick at 13 minutes and Chris Stanczyk’s ensuing serve found A.J. Kirkby charging the near post, but his header blasted just wide.
South Elgin’s Rolando Martinez ripped a hard shot from the left side to the near post at 17 minutes that Oswego East keeper Xavier Pacheco handled cleanly, and Pacheco made a leaping tip-save over the crossbar on a shot from 25 yards taken by Eduardo Carillo.
South Elgin coach Simon Brinklow implemented a different formation in each half and his side attacked well while playing in a 4-5-1 during the first half. The Storm went to a 4-3-3 in the second half.
“We wanted to get a feel for both formations before (Class 3A regional play) starts next week,” Brinklow said. “And everyone played today, which is important I think. On any given day we can surprise a few teams, so we’ll see what happens next week.”
The 10th-seeded Storm (7-9-3) open regional play against sixth-seed and regional host Guilford in a semifinal match Tuesday.
The Storm pressured well in its final third and tied the game 1-1 at 31 minutes when junior Jackson Lamb crashed the net on a long free kick sent to the goalmouth by junior Jack McCall.
“(Wolves' keeper Pacheco) didn’t catch it all the way,” Lamb said. “The ball kind of bounced out, and I got the rebound.
“I feel like we’re ready for regionals. We’ve played really well, and if we can clean some minor stuff up I think we can make a good push. We’ve worked on getting together, settling down a little bit in formation, and figured out how to play our game plan.”
Oswego East senior captain Ford Frazer put the Wolves up 2-1 at 49 minutes, cleaning up a long free kick taken from near midfield by Johnson that Storm keeper Brian Dykstra initially stopped.
The Wolves went up 3-1 when junior Gabe Jones fought his way past a pair of defenders into the box. The move forced Pacheco off his line and allowed Jones to score from 10 yards at 54 minutes.
“That was an awesome goal,” Molinari said. “He fought through and was able to tap it in. Gabe deserves a lot of credit. He has earned playing time, and he plays hard out there.
“When our backs are against a wall, and we’re feeling pressure from the other team, we tend to respond and that’s what we saw in the second half.”
The Storm cut the Wolves’ lead to 3-2 on a late bomb of a kick taken by sophomore Nick Flores. Flores’ offering from 35 yards soared and flew just under the crossbar finish the day’s scoring.
Both South Elgin goals began with balls sent in from distance.
“We let up an easy goal but that’s something we can clean up and work on,” Johnson said. “We didn’t start the season with a lot of defenders so we had to put people back there who usually don’t play defense.
“I play center mid, but I was forced to move back there and through the course of the year, we’ve been getting better and working well in back.”
Molinari and head coach Steve Szymanski, who is out of action due to surgery to replace a torn hamstring, moved from a flat to a diamond formation in back after a loss to rival Oswego on Sept. 28. The Wolves haven’t lost since, and defensive stopper Mitch Hlavacek has been a vital part of the switch to a sweeper-stopper formation.
Outside defenders Caleb Harris, Juan Manrique, Joey Bavol, and Kevin Moreno have all rotated in and Johnson’s toughness and vision as a sweeper has been an instrumental part of the Wolves’ six-game win streak to end the regular season.
His heady, smart play throughout Thursday’s game earned Johnson the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor.
“Dawson’s a great kid and hands-down one of the best soccer players to come through this program,” Molinari said. “His composure, soccer smarts, and his abilities to be a leader are things you can’t replace.
"I’ll miss all of our seniors, but Dawson I’ve been with for four years. As I’ve watched him grow up, I’ve seen him turn not only into a great soccer player, but an outstanding young man. The way he leads is something you just can’t replace.
“He’s in position a hundred percent of the time. He keeps us glued together back there. I’d definitely describe him as the heart and soul of this team.”
Jones and Leo Lopez led seven bench players off that bench that Molinari applauded after the win.
“A lot of guys that don’t typically see a lot of minutes, but who came out and provided a lot of energy,” Molinari said of the group. “Ultimately it’s a team victory, but I’m really happy with the bench and the way they helped us respond today.”
Brad Allgaeir, Juan Manrique, Nolan Laczynski, Kevin Moreno, and Zach Less all chipped in quality minutes off the bench for the Wolves.
Oswego East is seeded seventh at the Class 3A Naperville North Sectional and open the postseason against 10th-seeded Romeoville in a regional semifinal game Tuesday at Naperville Central.
After tying Romeoville 5-5 through two overtime periods on Sept. 5, the Wolves won on penalty kicks when keeper Nate Huerter stopped Romeoville’s fifth shooter.
“Romeoville is a tough team,” Molinari said. “I’m sure it will be a different type of game, but it should be exciting. I hope it’s a 1-0 or a 2-0 game but we know when we play Romeoville we’ll always get a tough, well-skilled team.”
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK Xavier Pacheco
D Dawson Johnson
D Caleb Harris
D Joey Bavol
D Eric Montano
M Juan Vega
M Ryan Alten
M Andre Casas
M Kyle Blasingame
F Manuel Magana
F Michael Waclaw
South Elgin
GK Brian Dykstra
D Lucas Ruetimann
D Sergio Briones
D Nick Flores
D Elijah Patrick
M AJ Kirby
M Jacob Zupan
M Rolando Martinez
M Anthony Sisler
M Eduardo Carillo
F Chris Stanczyk
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dawson Johnson, sr., D, Oswego East
Scoring summary:
First half
Oswego East — Blasingame (UA)
South Elgin — Lamb (McCall)
Second half
Oswego East — Frazer (Dawson); Jones (UA)
South Elgin — Flores (UA)