Switch suits Conway and Oswego East
Move to forward produces hat-trick in Wolves win over Joliet W.
By Randy Whalen
Sydney Conway approached her coach last week and had a request.
"I wanted to move to forward," Conway said.
So before a 2-1 loss at Batavia on March 23, the Oswego East senior did just that. The change paid dividends in the next game when Conway scored a hat-trick to help the Wolves to an 8-0 victory over Joliet West in a Southwest Prairie Conference matinee matchup on Tuesday in Joliet.
The first win of the season for Oswego East (1-2-1, 1-1-0) delivered the fourth loss in a row for the Tigers (1-5-0, 0-2-0).
Not only did Conway score a trio of goals, her first three of the season, but sophomore defender Alex McPhee added a hat-trick of sorts herself with three assists. Junior midfielder Madison Frazer along with junior forward Haley Lewis, sophomore defender Abby Burns, and freshman midfielder Taylor English all added a goal and an assist.
"I was playing center mid, but I had played forward for my club team, said Conway, a senior. "I wanted to move up and play forward here to help the team out and get some goals."
Oswego East coach Juan Leal was glad she approached him.
"Sydney asked, 'Can I play forward?'" said Leal. "She did very well this game, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do. She jelled at the right time for us (against Joliet West)."
After only scoring twice in their first three games, which included an opening season 1-1 tie at Downers Grove South, the Wolves came out on the attack against Joliet West. McPhee had a corner kick from the right side just a minute into the game. Three minutes later she took another one from the left and this one connected with Frazer, who got off a nice header attempt that was saved by junior keeper Maite Bernal.
English and Conway followed with shots as Oswego East opened with an onslaught.
"We were in a full-out attack mode," Conway said. "It was a good way to start the game with some through-balls, and we countered on the outside."
The game started at noon and that seemed to fit freshman midfielder Chloe Noon, who ripped a shot that was also corraled by Bernal, who nearly gave up a rebound opportunity but hung on.
The only problem for Oswego East was that it hadn't found the back of the net despite the pressure.
But 58 seconds later, Noon wasn't going to be denied. It was about 10 minutes after noon and 9:18 into the game when Lewis crossed a ball toward the middle. It deflected directly off a defender and went right to Noon who knocked it in for the first of Wolves goal.
After not finishing off their first attempt, McPhee connected with Frazer again off a corner kick from the left. This time Frazer found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead with 22:51 left to play in the opening half.
"In practice, we did corner kicks a lot, and we're a dynamic duo on corner kicks," Frazer said of her and McPhee. "She found my forehead.
"We definitely mean business. This helped with our confidence as we had struggled to score. But now we know our strengths and where everyone is. We are improving."
McPhee enjoys being the one to take the corner kicks and her connection with Frazer.
"I basically look for her head," McPhee said of the corner kicks to Frazer. "This is a much better start than last year when we were 0-7-0, and it was better than our (other Southwest Suburban Prairie) game when we lost 4-0 (at Plainfield East on March 21)."
English put some on the ball and got a goal off an assist by Frazer to make it 3-0 with 5:07 left in the half. Conway then clubbed the first of her three goals off a pass from Burns to tally just 2:34 before halftime to take a 4-0 advantage into the break.
The Tigers tried to dent the board to start the second half. Junior forward Esmeralda Escamilla had a shot near the left post that was saved two minutes in by senior keeper Reagan Sanders, and 90 seconds later junior midfielder Jaicely Luevano-Lara had a corner kick for the Tigers from the right side.
But that didn't deter the Oswego East offense.
Conway continued her scoring with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart both on assists from McPhee. The second, with 31:32 to play in the game, put the Wolves up 6-0.
Just 42 seconds later, Lewis received an assist from English that resulted in the seventh score. It also dropped 15 minutes off the clock. Burns banged home a final goal on an unassisted play with 10:40 to play to round out the scoring.
Senior midfielder Daniela Barajas had one last opportunity for Joliet West, but her chip shot was grabbed by Sanders with just over two minutes to play. Outside of a first half corner kick by junior midfielder Katie Meagher and a couple of offensive zone throw-ins by Luevano-Lara and freshman midfielder Joslyn Prosek, there weren't any other opportunities for the Tigers.
"We obviously cleaned it up," Leal said of the match against Joliet West. "We had been putting ourselves in tough situations but did a great job of spreading the field around, and our finishing was great. But I have to commend Joliet West. They continued to play and fought until the end."
Joliet West saw Escamilla, Meaghe and junior center midfielder Carolina Bedolla, all leave the game with injuries.
Still, Tigers coach Mike O'Shea was happy with how his team stood in there.
"Our girls played hard," said O'Shea, whose squad was 12-13-0 last year but only has a 3-0 victory over Bremen in the W column so far this season. "We were just outmatched, and that's what's happened in this conference. I also thought our keeper played well, she's technically not a keeper but stood in there to stop some shots."
Oswego East travels to St. Louis for matches in the Parkway College Showcase on Friday and Saturday. The Wolves looked forward to that challenge.
"I love this tournament," McPhee said. "I love staying with the team, bonding, and just having a ton of fun."
Conway hopes to continue her hot streak there too.
"We get to see some other teams for good competition, and it's awesome for sure," she said of the trip. "This (win at Joliet West) will really get us motivated for it."
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK Reagan Sanders
D Allison Adams
D Madeline Kastel
D Alex McPhee
MF Sammy Anderson
MF Taylor English
MF Madison Frazer
MF Chloe Noon
F Sydney Biala
F Sydney Conway
F Haley Lewis
Joliet West
GK Maite Bernal
D Yoselin Garcia
D Becca Haggerty
D Bailey Pubentz
D Ava Vaccarella
MF Destiny Ashcraft
MF Carolina Bedolla
MF Katie Meagher
MF Joslyn Prosek
F Esmeralda Escamilla
F Angelina Rodriquez
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Sydney Conway, sr., F, Oswego East
Officials: Kent Heisner, Rob Narayan, Chuck Reynolds
Scoring summary
First half
Oswego East – Chloe Noon (Haley Lewis) 30:42
Oswego East – Madison Frazer (Alex McPhee) 22:51
Oswego East – Taylor English (Madison Frazer) 5:07
Oswego East – Sydney Conway (Abby Burns) 2:34
Second half
Oswego East – Sydney Conway (Alex McPhee) 34:03
Oswego East – Sydney Conway (Alex McPhee) 31:32
Oswego East – Haley Lewis (Taylor English) 30:50
Oswego East – Abby Burns (unassisted) 10:40
Move to forward produces hat-trick in Wolves win over Joliet W.
By Randy Whalen
Sydney Conway approached her coach last week and had a request.
"I wanted to move to forward," Conway said.
So before a 2-1 loss at Batavia on March 23, the Oswego East senior did just that. The change paid dividends in the next game when Conway scored a hat-trick to help the Wolves to an 8-0 victory over Joliet West in a Southwest Prairie Conference matinee matchup on Tuesday in Joliet.
The first win of the season for Oswego East (1-2-1, 1-1-0) delivered the fourth loss in a row for the Tigers (1-5-0, 0-2-0).
Not only did Conway score a trio of goals, her first three of the season, but sophomore defender Alex McPhee added a hat-trick of sorts herself with three assists. Junior midfielder Madison Frazer along with junior forward Haley Lewis, sophomore defender Abby Burns, and freshman midfielder Taylor English all added a goal and an assist.
"I was playing center mid, but I had played forward for my club team, said Conway, a senior. "I wanted to move up and play forward here to help the team out and get some goals."
Oswego East coach Juan Leal was glad she approached him.
"Sydney asked, 'Can I play forward?'" said Leal. "She did very well this game, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do. She jelled at the right time for us (against Joliet West)."
After only scoring twice in their first three games, which included an opening season 1-1 tie at Downers Grove South, the Wolves came out on the attack against Joliet West. McPhee had a corner kick from the right side just a minute into the game. Three minutes later she took another one from the left and this one connected with Frazer, who got off a nice header attempt that was saved by junior keeper Maite Bernal.
English and Conway followed with shots as Oswego East opened with an onslaught.
"We were in a full-out attack mode," Conway said. "It was a good way to start the game with some through-balls, and we countered on the outside."
The game started at noon and that seemed to fit freshman midfielder Chloe Noon, who ripped a shot that was also corraled by Bernal, who nearly gave up a rebound opportunity but hung on.
The only problem for Oswego East was that it hadn't found the back of the net despite the pressure.
But 58 seconds later, Noon wasn't going to be denied. It was about 10 minutes after noon and 9:18 into the game when Lewis crossed a ball toward the middle. It deflected directly off a defender and went right to Noon who knocked it in for the first of Wolves goal.
After not finishing off their first attempt, McPhee connected with Frazer again off a corner kick from the left. This time Frazer found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead with 22:51 left to play in the opening half.
"In practice, we did corner kicks a lot, and we're a dynamic duo on corner kicks," Frazer said of her and McPhee. "She found my forehead.
"We definitely mean business. This helped with our confidence as we had struggled to score. But now we know our strengths and where everyone is. We are improving."
McPhee enjoys being the one to take the corner kicks and her connection with Frazer.
"I basically look for her head," McPhee said of the corner kicks to Frazer. "This is a much better start than last year when we were 0-7-0, and it was better than our (other Southwest Suburban Prairie) game when we lost 4-0 (at Plainfield East on March 21)."
English put some on the ball and got a goal off an assist by Frazer to make it 3-0 with 5:07 left in the half. Conway then clubbed the first of her three goals off a pass from Burns to tally just 2:34 before halftime to take a 4-0 advantage into the break.
The Tigers tried to dent the board to start the second half. Junior forward Esmeralda Escamilla had a shot near the left post that was saved two minutes in by senior keeper Reagan Sanders, and 90 seconds later junior midfielder Jaicely Luevano-Lara had a corner kick for the Tigers from the right side.
But that didn't deter the Oswego East offense.
Conway continued her scoring with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart both on assists from McPhee. The second, with 31:32 to play in the game, put the Wolves up 6-0.
Just 42 seconds later, Lewis received an assist from English that resulted in the seventh score. It also dropped 15 minutes off the clock. Burns banged home a final goal on an unassisted play with 10:40 to play to round out the scoring.
Senior midfielder Daniela Barajas had one last opportunity for Joliet West, but her chip shot was grabbed by Sanders with just over two minutes to play. Outside of a first half corner kick by junior midfielder Katie Meagher and a couple of offensive zone throw-ins by Luevano-Lara and freshman midfielder Joslyn Prosek, there weren't any other opportunities for the Tigers.
"We obviously cleaned it up," Leal said of the match against Joliet West. "We had been putting ourselves in tough situations but did a great job of spreading the field around, and our finishing was great. But I have to commend Joliet West. They continued to play and fought until the end."
Joliet West saw Escamilla, Meaghe and junior center midfielder Carolina Bedolla, all leave the game with injuries.
Still, Tigers coach Mike O'Shea was happy with how his team stood in there.
"Our girls played hard," said O'Shea, whose squad was 12-13-0 last year but only has a 3-0 victory over Bremen in the W column so far this season. "We were just outmatched, and that's what's happened in this conference. I also thought our keeper played well, she's technically not a keeper but stood in there to stop some shots."
Oswego East travels to St. Louis for matches in the Parkway College Showcase on Friday and Saturday. The Wolves looked forward to that challenge.
"I love this tournament," McPhee said. "I love staying with the team, bonding, and just having a ton of fun."
Conway hopes to continue her hot streak there too.
"We get to see some other teams for good competition, and it's awesome for sure," she said of the trip. "This (win at Joliet West) will really get us motivated for it."
Starting lineups
Oswego East
GK Reagan Sanders
D Allison Adams
D Madeline Kastel
D Alex McPhee
MF Sammy Anderson
MF Taylor English
MF Madison Frazer
MF Chloe Noon
F Sydney Biala
F Sydney Conway
F Haley Lewis
Joliet West
GK Maite Bernal
D Yoselin Garcia
D Becca Haggerty
D Bailey Pubentz
D Ava Vaccarella
MF Destiny Ashcraft
MF Carolina Bedolla
MF Katie Meagher
MF Joslyn Prosek
F Esmeralda Escamilla
F Angelina Rodriquez
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Sydney Conway, sr., F, Oswego East
Officials: Kent Heisner, Rob Narayan, Chuck Reynolds
Scoring summary
First half
Oswego East – Chloe Noon (Haley Lewis) 30:42
Oswego East – Madison Frazer (Alex McPhee) 22:51
Oswego East – Taylor English (Madison Frazer) 5:07
Oswego East – Sydney Conway (Abby Burns) 2:34
Second half
Oswego East – Sydney Conway (Alex McPhee) 34:03
Oswego East – Sydney Conway (Alex McPhee) 31:32
Oswego East – Haley Lewis (Taylor English) 30:50
Oswego East – Abby Burns (unassisted) 10:40