Oswego E. gains point in rugged stretch
Waclaw 78th-minute PK rebound goal lifts Wolves to 2-2 tie
By Dave Owen
OSWEGO – Another quality opponent finally produced some positive results for Oswego East.
After opening the season with losses to top-rated Naperville North (2-0 on Tuesday) and high-level program Waubonsie Valley (2-1 on Thursday), the schedule continued to give the Wolves reason to howl with Saturday’s home matchup against unbeaten Elgin.
But Oswego East responded to its third test with late heroics.
After a pair of second-half goals rallied Elgin into a 2-1 lead, Oswego East’s extra effort in the waning minutes helped the Wolves (0-2-1) exit the morning matchup with a 2-2 tie.
Michael Waclaw’s rush into the box with 2:04 left with the Wolves behind 2-1 resulted in him being tripped up on a 1-v.-1 attack and earning a penalty kick.
“I saw Manuel Magana made a great run, and he’s always a team player so I knew he was going to pass it to me,” Waclaw said. “So I just tried to get down the line as fast as possible.”
Waclaw took the ensuing PK, and turned initial disappointment into second-effort glory.
After his initial shot was denied on a diving save at the right post by Elgin goalkeeper Martin Jimenez Estrada, Waclaw dashed to the post to corral the rebound and pounded home a point-blank shot to tie the score 2-2.
“It wasn’t the best PK obviously, and props to him for saving it,” Waclaw said. “But I got lucky that it came right back to me.
“It was a huge relief that it came back, and I was able to put it in. Our coaches always put that on us, that we always go through everything (and finish the play).”
The game-tying sequence capped a second half in which Elgin (2-0-1) had the vast majority of chances and scored twice, but also had three or four other great shots denied by sensational saves from Oswego East goalkeeper Nathan Huerter.
“Their keeper came up big, and our keeper came up big too (on the PK),” Elgin coach Dave Borg said. “Unfortunately we stood and watched (on the PK rebound).”
Waclaw’s ability to gather the rebound and score uncontested was a rare moment of slow reaction by Elgin’s field players, who were storming the Oswego East defense in the last 40-plus minutes en route to turning a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 lead.
But Oswego East’s ability to withstand the heat was a far cry from recent battles with the Maroons.
“Elgin’s a team that’s had our number the last few years,” Wolves coach Steve Szymanski said. “They had scored 12 goals on us the past two seasons. They put it on us. We knew they were a good team and they’ve always given us trouble.”
But Elgin expected a challenge.
“They’re such an improved program,” Borg said of the Wolves. “A lot of our guys have been with me since freshman year, and we tried to tell them ‘They (Oswego East) played Naperville North and Waubonsie close, two quality programs.’
“But that sometimes doesn’t mean a lot to kids, because they don’t read about it like I do. But you learn together, and then hope we’ll be able to overcome those penalties and mistakes.”
One of those Elgin mistakes came in the 16th minute, a hand ball call in the box. Dawson Johnson’s ensuing penalty kick put the Wolves up 1-0.
But the Maroons responded with several late first half near-misses, including a huge 20-second sequence in the 35th minute.
With 5:40 until the half, Huerter made a great deflection over the net of a 6-yard shot by Elgin. Then off the ensuing corner kick, Elgin’s Jesus Lopez sent a header that skimmed off the crossbar and over the net.
Oswego East’s strong defensive first half also featured nice plays by Mitch Hlavacek and Waclaw on a prolonged Elgin threat 11 minutes in, and Kyle Blasingame and Eric Montano combining to clear an Elgin corner kick in the 13th minute.
Huerter also made a catch at the line on an Omar Lopez corner kick in the 22nd minute.
Lopez entered the game with seven goals in his first two matches of 2017. Unfortunately for the Wolves, he spent the second half resuming that torrid scoring pace.
“The first half we weren’t getting him the ball,” Borg said. “He was standing with his back to the goal and wanted the ball, but we weren’t doing our job.”
Doing a great job both as an offensive catalyst and defender was Oswego East senior defender Johnson, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his all-around play.
Johnson scored on a first half PK, and impressed with his power leg from distance on free kicks. With 23 minutes left in the half, his free kick from beyond midfield required a high catch save by Estrada at the goal line.
At the defensive end, Johnson’s biggest play came with 3:05 left and his team down 2-1. Jesus Lopez’s header off a corner kick appeared destined for the open right side of the net, but Johnson was there to block the ball at the line and keep his team in line to tie the score one minute later.
Beyond that big play, he was instrumental in helping limit the damage of Omar Lopez’s explosive talents. That included a 1-v.-1 win from Lopez of a 50-50 ball on a long send to the box with 33:50 left in the match.
“Mostly we were just trying to work as a team, and make sure we always had an eye on where he was on the field because he was such a good player,” Johnson said. “So we just tried to keep on him, check our shoulders, and just try to keep him contained.”
Johnson and Huerter have been part of a vastly improved 2017 defense for the Wolves.
“Nate and Dawson have been solid, and this is Dawson’s first year playing defense,” Szymanski said. “He’s been a midfielder for awhile. Dawson’s been solid back there, and Nate makes just about every save we need him to.
“There’s a lot of guys – Kyle Blasingame has been really solid in the middle for us, and Joey Bavol and Caleb (Harris) at outside backs have been doing a nice job back there.
“We’re in a better spot than we were last year,” Szymanski added. “Last year I think we gave up 16 goals in our first three games, and this year we’ve given up six. That’s still more than we want to, but we’re in every game and competing. And that’s something to build on going forward.”
Oswego East had to battle and compete Saturday to withstand the Maroons wave in the second half.
Elgin finally solved the Wolves defense with 27:04 left, when Omar Lopez hammered a 20-yard rocket shot from right of the box into the lower left corner.
The Maroons cranked up the heat further in the 56th minute. First, Oswego East’s Montano made a nice foot block of a Olaoluwa Ajayi header near the post, then Huerter made a diving save on an Omar Lopez 12-yard shot 10 seconds later.
“We were two different teams,” Borg said of Elgin’s second half play, “The Saturday morning team that looked like we stayed up too late the night before, and then the second half we got it together – and that’s the way we expect to play soccer. And when we do, there aren’t many teams that can play with us.”
With 22:13 left, Omar Lopez was tripped in the box on a 1-v.-1 attack off a Manuel Ramirez pass. Lopez put away the ensuing penalty kick, putting Elgin up 2-1.
But Huerter and the Wolves defense would slam the door on every Elgin chance the rest of the way.
Just before Johnson’s goal line block on the corner kick, Huerter came up huge with a diving deflection to his left of a Ajayi point-blank try with 3:15 to go.
Then after Waclaw’s goal tied the score, Huerter saved the day with 1:15 left by flying to the left post to swat away a Perez laser and preserve the 2-2 tie.
“You just prepare for anything,” Huerter said, “and the shots they had, some of them were kind of close and you just have to be ready and react to them.”
Huerter and his teammates have faced big challenges all season so far, and are gaining strength.
“I think playing hard teams in the beginning gets us going together as a team more and working harder,”Huerter said. “The first game we played (Naperville North), we played one of our best games of the season and played really hard. If we match that for the rest of the season, I think we’ll be good.
“Overall the team’s just better, more skilled, better passing, better going forward. Everything’s better than in past years.”
On the Elgin side, Saturday’s draw dampened Lopez’s excitement over his continued offensive excellence.
“It’s great to have nine goals,” he said, “but I want to win games, not tie games.
“We’ve been working hard in practice, putting in as much work as we can so we can get the result at the end of the match. But today we didn’t get it.”
Oswego East’s toughness had a role in that. And the tough August schedule should have the Wolves ready for anything September and October throw at them.
“I’m not panicking, and our guys shouldn’t,” Szymanski said of his team’s 0-2-1 record. “It’s a young season, and these could be three of the best teams we play all season. And then we come back and play Hinsdale Central (this week), which is no slouch either.
“I feel they (Elgin) had the better of the play in the second half, but to sneak away with a tie is definitely something we needed to do. I don’t think we’ve met our potential yet, but we play a tough start of the year schedule and hopefully it prepares us in the long run. We’ll be alright. It’s just a matter of getting things together.”
The Wolves players can sense the pieces falling into place.
“These teams early on – these are some of the best teams in the state,” Waclaw said. “It definitely puts us right foot forward to playing other teams in the future. It sets a standard for us.
“I think we have a different team, and the way we play is different now,” he added. “We’re able to possess the ball, get down the line and work as a team. In other years it was more individual. It’s more of a team effort this year for sure.”
Playing recent nemesis Elgin to a tie was a big step forward.
“We went into this game knowing they’re a really good team that’s scored a lot of goals on us in the past,” Johnson said, “so we came out here knowing we didn’t want that to happen.
“We wanted to play hard and show that the goals that happened in the past weren’t going to happen today.”
The Wolves endured despite the key absence of senior midfielder Tristan Stewart, who was taking the ACT test on Saturday morning.
As for his team, Szymanski sees one big test to tackle.
“The area I’m really concerned with now is that we just don’t talk enough,” Szymanski said. “Guys aren’t really familiar with each other, and we don’t put ourselves in position to be successful because we’re not talking. But that’s got to come in practice and then carry over into games.
“Communication, and finishing opportunities (are areas to work on). We weren’t very good on corner kicks and our set pieces. We only had one or two really good opportunities. But we’re not a team that creates a lot of corner kicks, so when we get those set pieces we have to take advantage.”
Still seeking its first win and eyeing more upcoming tests, Oswego East remains confident.
“I feel like we have a lot of potential on our team, but we just haven’t been able to show it,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of great players and a lot of returning players. I’m just waiting for something to click in our team and our heads so we show what we’re made of.”
That click may have come in the final minutes Saturday.
Starting lineups
Elgin
GK Martin Jimenez Estrada
D Manuel Ramirez
D Alexander Kunicki
D Raul Huerta
D Julian Garfias
M Rafael Perez
M Pablo Perez
M Jesus Lopez
M Cristopher Colin
F Omar Lopez
F Olaoluwa Ajayi
Oswego East
GK Nate Huerter
D Mitch Hlavacek
D Dawson Johnson
D Joey Bavol
D Caleb Harris
M Kyle Blasingame
M Juan Vega
M Ryan Aten
M Manuel Magana
F Ford Frazer
F Michael Waclaw
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dawson Johnson, sr. D, Oswego East
Scoring summary
1ST HALF
Oswego E – Dawson Johnson (PK) 24:43
2ND HALF
Elgin – Omar Lopez 27:04; Elgin – Omar Lopez (PK) 72:13; Oswego East – Michael Waclaw 77:56
Waclaw 78th-minute PK rebound goal lifts Wolves to 2-2 tie
By Dave Owen
OSWEGO – Another quality opponent finally produced some positive results for Oswego East.
After opening the season with losses to top-rated Naperville North (2-0 on Tuesday) and high-level program Waubonsie Valley (2-1 on Thursday), the schedule continued to give the Wolves reason to howl with Saturday’s home matchup against unbeaten Elgin.
But Oswego East responded to its third test with late heroics.
After a pair of second-half goals rallied Elgin into a 2-1 lead, Oswego East’s extra effort in the waning minutes helped the Wolves (0-2-1) exit the morning matchup with a 2-2 tie.
Michael Waclaw’s rush into the box with 2:04 left with the Wolves behind 2-1 resulted in him being tripped up on a 1-v.-1 attack and earning a penalty kick.
“I saw Manuel Magana made a great run, and he’s always a team player so I knew he was going to pass it to me,” Waclaw said. “So I just tried to get down the line as fast as possible.”
Waclaw took the ensuing PK, and turned initial disappointment into second-effort glory.
After his initial shot was denied on a diving save at the right post by Elgin goalkeeper Martin Jimenez Estrada, Waclaw dashed to the post to corral the rebound and pounded home a point-blank shot to tie the score 2-2.
“It wasn’t the best PK obviously, and props to him for saving it,” Waclaw said. “But I got lucky that it came right back to me.
“It was a huge relief that it came back, and I was able to put it in. Our coaches always put that on us, that we always go through everything (and finish the play).”
The game-tying sequence capped a second half in which Elgin (2-0-1) had the vast majority of chances and scored twice, but also had three or four other great shots denied by sensational saves from Oswego East goalkeeper Nathan Huerter.
“Their keeper came up big, and our keeper came up big too (on the PK),” Elgin coach Dave Borg said. “Unfortunately we stood and watched (on the PK rebound).”
Waclaw’s ability to gather the rebound and score uncontested was a rare moment of slow reaction by Elgin’s field players, who were storming the Oswego East defense in the last 40-plus minutes en route to turning a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 lead.
But Oswego East’s ability to withstand the heat was a far cry from recent battles with the Maroons.
“Elgin’s a team that’s had our number the last few years,” Wolves coach Steve Szymanski said. “They had scored 12 goals on us the past two seasons. They put it on us. We knew they were a good team and they’ve always given us trouble.”
But Elgin expected a challenge.
“They’re such an improved program,” Borg said of the Wolves. “A lot of our guys have been with me since freshman year, and we tried to tell them ‘They (Oswego East) played Naperville North and Waubonsie close, two quality programs.’
“But that sometimes doesn’t mean a lot to kids, because they don’t read about it like I do. But you learn together, and then hope we’ll be able to overcome those penalties and mistakes.”
One of those Elgin mistakes came in the 16th minute, a hand ball call in the box. Dawson Johnson’s ensuing penalty kick put the Wolves up 1-0.
But the Maroons responded with several late first half near-misses, including a huge 20-second sequence in the 35th minute.
With 5:40 until the half, Huerter made a great deflection over the net of a 6-yard shot by Elgin. Then off the ensuing corner kick, Elgin’s Jesus Lopez sent a header that skimmed off the crossbar and over the net.
Oswego East’s strong defensive first half also featured nice plays by Mitch Hlavacek and Waclaw on a prolonged Elgin threat 11 minutes in, and Kyle Blasingame and Eric Montano combining to clear an Elgin corner kick in the 13th minute.
Huerter also made a catch at the line on an Omar Lopez corner kick in the 22nd minute.
Lopez entered the game with seven goals in his first two matches of 2017. Unfortunately for the Wolves, he spent the second half resuming that torrid scoring pace.
“The first half we weren’t getting him the ball,” Borg said. “He was standing with his back to the goal and wanted the ball, but we weren’t doing our job.”
Doing a great job both as an offensive catalyst and defender was Oswego East senior defender Johnson, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match for his all-around play.
Johnson scored on a first half PK, and impressed with his power leg from distance on free kicks. With 23 minutes left in the half, his free kick from beyond midfield required a high catch save by Estrada at the goal line.
At the defensive end, Johnson’s biggest play came with 3:05 left and his team down 2-1. Jesus Lopez’s header off a corner kick appeared destined for the open right side of the net, but Johnson was there to block the ball at the line and keep his team in line to tie the score one minute later.
Beyond that big play, he was instrumental in helping limit the damage of Omar Lopez’s explosive talents. That included a 1-v.-1 win from Lopez of a 50-50 ball on a long send to the box with 33:50 left in the match.
“Mostly we were just trying to work as a team, and make sure we always had an eye on where he was on the field because he was such a good player,” Johnson said. “So we just tried to keep on him, check our shoulders, and just try to keep him contained.”
Johnson and Huerter have been part of a vastly improved 2017 defense for the Wolves.
“Nate and Dawson have been solid, and this is Dawson’s first year playing defense,” Szymanski said. “He’s been a midfielder for awhile. Dawson’s been solid back there, and Nate makes just about every save we need him to.
“There’s a lot of guys – Kyle Blasingame has been really solid in the middle for us, and Joey Bavol and Caleb (Harris) at outside backs have been doing a nice job back there.
“We’re in a better spot than we were last year,” Szymanski added. “Last year I think we gave up 16 goals in our first three games, and this year we’ve given up six. That’s still more than we want to, but we’re in every game and competing. And that’s something to build on going forward.”
Oswego East had to battle and compete Saturday to withstand the Maroons wave in the second half.
Elgin finally solved the Wolves defense with 27:04 left, when Omar Lopez hammered a 20-yard rocket shot from right of the box into the lower left corner.
The Maroons cranked up the heat further in the 56th minute. First, Oswego East’s Montano made a nice foot block of a Olaoluwa Ajayi header near the post, then Huerter made a diving save on an Omar Lopez 12-yard shot 10 seconds later.
“We were two different teams,” Borg said of Elgin’s second half play, “The Saturday morning team that looked like we stayed up too late the night before, and then the second half we got it together – and that’s the way we expect to play soccer. And when we do, there aren’t many teams that can play with us.”
With 22:13 left, Omar Lopez was tripped in the box on a 1-v.-1 attack off a Manuel Ramirez pass. Lopez put away the ensuing penalty kick, putting Elgin up 2-1.
But Huerter and the Wolves defense would slam the door on every Elgin chance the rest of the way.
Just before Johnson’s goal line block on the corner kick, Huerter came up huge with a diving deflection to his left of a Ajayi point-blank try with 3:15 to go.
Then after Waclaw’s goal tied the score, Huerter saved the day with 1:15 left by flying to the left post to swat away a Perez laser and preserve the 2-2 tie.
“You just prepare for anything,” Huerter said, “and the shots they had, some of them were kind of close and you just have to be ready and react to them.”
Huerter and his teammates have faced big challenges all season so far, and are gaining strength.
“I think playing hard teams in the beginning gets us going together as a team more and working harder,”Huerter said. “The first game we played (Naperville North), we played one of our best games of the season and played really hard. If we match that for the rest of the season, I think we’ll be good.
“Overall the team’s just better, more skilled, better passing, better going forward. Everything’s better than in past years.”
On the Elgin side, Saturday’s draw dampened Lopez’s excitement over his continued offensive excellence.
“It’s great to have nine goals,” he said, “but I want to win games, not tie games.
“We’ve been working hard in practice, putting in as much work as we can so we can get the result at the end of the match. But today we didn’t get it.”
Oswego East’s toughness had a role in that. And the tough August schedule should have the Wolves ready for anything September and October throw at them.
“I’m not panicking, and our guys shouldn’t,” Szymanski said of his team’s 0-2-1 record. “It’s a young season, and these could be three of the best teams we play all season. And then we come back and play Hinsdale Central (this week), which is no slouch either.
“I feel they (Elgin) had the better of the play in the second half, but to sneak away with a tie is definitely something we needed to do. I don’t think we’ve met our potential yet, but we play a tough start of the year schedule and hopefully it prepares us in the long run. We’ll be alright. It’s just a matter of getting things together.”
The Wolves players can sense the pieces falling into place.
“These teams early on – these are some of the best teams in the state,” Waclaw said. “It definitely puts us right foot forward to playing other teams in the future. It sets a standard for us.
“I think we have a different team, and the way we play is different now,” he added. “We’re able to possess the ball, get down the line and work as a team. In other years it was more individual. It’s more of a team effort this year for sure.”
Playing recent nemesis Elgin to a tie was a big step forward.
“We went into this game knowing they’re a really good team that’s scored a lot of goals on us in the past,” Johnson said, “so we came out here knowing we didn’t want that to happen.
“We wanted to play hard and show that the goals that happened in the past weren’t going to happen today.”
The Wolves endured despite the key absence of senior midfielder Tristan Stewart, who was taking the ACT test on Saturday morning.
As for his team, Szymanski sees one big test to tackle.
“The area I’m really concerned with now is that we just don’t talk enough,” Szymanski said. “Guys aren’t really familiar with each other, and we don’t put ourselves in position to be successful because we’re not talking. But that’s got to come in practice and then carry over into games.
“Communication, and finishing opportunities (are areas to work on). We weren’t very good on corner kicks and our set pieces. We only had one or two really good opportunities. But we’re not a team that creates a lot of corner kicks, so when we get those set pieces we have to take advantage.”
Still seeking its first win and eyeing more upcoming tests, Oswego East remains confident.
“I feel like we have a lot of potential on our team, but we just haven’t been able to show it,” Johnson said. “We have a lot of great players and a lot of returning players. I’m just waiting for something to click in our team and our heads so we show what we’re made of.”
That click may have come in the final minutes Saturday.
Starting lineups
Elgin
GK Martin Jimenez Estrada
D Manuel Ramirez
D Alexander Kunicki
D Raul Huerta
D Julian Garfias
M Rafael Perez
M Pablo Perez
M Jesus Lopez
M Cristopher Colin
F Omar Lopez
F Olaoluwa Ajayi
Oswego East
GK Nate Huerter
D Mitch Hlavacek
D Dawson Johnson
D Joey Bavol
D Caleb Harris
M Kyle Blasingame
M Juan Vega
M Ryan Aten
M Manuel Magana
F Ford Frazer
F Michael Waclaw
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Dawson Johnson, sr. D, Oswego East
Scoring summary
1ST HALF
Oswego E – Dawson Johnson (PK) 24:43
2ND HALF
Elgin – Omar Lopez 27:04; Elgin – Omar Lopez (PK) 72:13; Oswego East – Michael Waclaw 77:56