Naperville Central, Oswego battle to draw
Visiting Panthers score bookend goals in 2-2 deadlock
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Owen Jarrell had the type of game that he and Naperville Central coach Troy Adams have been waiting for.
Jarrell, a junior midfielder, had a goal and an assist Saturday during a performance that earned him Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
His effort, however, was not enough to lift the host Redhawks to victory. Oswego scored twice on headers off corner kicks, including the game-tying goal by Mason McCaw with 13:40 left in the second half, to earn a 2-2 draw at Memorial Stadium.
“A tie feels like a loss to us in this situation, but it’s still (early in the) season,” Jarrell said. “We’re trying to get better, we’re trying to figure things out.
“I think we had moments where we dominated and were able to possess the ball. But at times we were lax defensively, so we’ve got to fix that.
“That’s not just on one person. That’s on the whole team. We’ve got to coordinate.”
Indeed, what was noteworthy – and impressive on the part of Oswego – was how the visiting Panthers scored against the usually stingy Redhawks.
Both goals came on high balls off the foot of Steven Udy, who somehow figured out how to break down Naperville Central’s corner kick defense.
The first Oswego goal opened the scoring at the 32:09 mark of the first half. Maxwell Glover powered home the header on the Panthers’ first shot of the game for a 1-0 lead.
The Redhawks responded well and appeared to have the upper hand midway through the second half before losing their advantage on another corner kick.
This time it was McCaw who rose up just inside the right post to flick Udy’s serve from the left corner into the upper 90 to cap the scoring.
“I don’t really remember how we got the corner,” McCaw said. “I just remember getting it, and then he crossed it in.
“I saw it going over their huge center back (Cameron Strang), so I just stepped up, put my head into it, and it went in.”
That wasn’t what the Redhawks (1-0-2) wanted to see.
“We’ve given up three goals, and all three have been on dead balls,” Adams said. “It’s very frustrating, because we’ve said one of the strengths of our team this year should be set pieces.
“We’ve got some height; our goalkeepers are both 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 and can jump. So we’ll take a look at the film.
“I would imagine it’s just players not staying with runners and not willing to do the little things that it takes. That’s usually what set pieces are. Those are things we can clean up.”
Even so, the Panthers (0-0-1) showed skill in figuring out how to beat Central’s defense.
“They were playing in some very deadly balls, and we've got to figure those out better,” Jarrell said. “We’ve got to have a ball-winner in the middle who just goes after the ball.
“When it’s up there (in the air), we’ve got to go get it.”
While his defense should be solid again this season, Adams is looking for someone who can get after it at the other end. That person could be Jarrell, who is a dual-threat as a passer and shooter.
He showcased that versatility against the Panthers, scoring on a header to tie the game 1-1 with 23:31 left in the first half and then setting up the go-ahead strike with 36:45 remaining in the second half.
Jarrell had the ball on the left side of the field about 30 yards from the Oswego goal when he burst past a defender into space, sped perpendicular to the six and whipped in a cross that found the head of forward Finn Wolfe for a 2-1 lead.
It was Wolfe’s second goal of the season and both came on nearly identical plays. Ivan Dosen set up Wolfe’s previous goal in a win over Plainfield Central.
“He has that capability,” Adams said of Jarrell. “He has the ability to break people down 1-on-1.
“This is his third year, and he’s been making progress every year about his decision-making. When do I actually want to take a guy 1-on-1 versus when do I want to distribute and look to collect it later?”
Maybe Jarrell has that figured out.
“When he came off, I told him that was a great example of you recognizing the situation, that you seized it and win at it,” Adams said. “The thing is he also went at speed.
“We’ve also tried to stress to guys that if you’re going to beat people and score it’s got to be done at speed.”
That’s something Naperville Central’s attacking players, most of who have limited varsity experience, are in the process of learning.
“We are kind of hesitant at times to go after it,” Adams said. “As a forward you have to have the mindset that I’m going to fail way more than I’m going to succeed.
“It’s almost more of a baseball mentality. As a forward, you’re going to be wrong nine out of 10 times. You only have to be right once, so it’s getting that mentality going.”
Performances like Saturday’s are an indication Jarrell has that mentality.
“I think this was a breakout game for me,” Jarrell said. “I want to keep this up.
“I want to keep racking up the assists and the goals, and I want to impact the team any way I can.”
The same is true of McCaw, who was encouraged by leaving Naperville with a tie.
“(Naperville Central) is a big school. A lot of big schools have good teams, and they were a good team,” McCaw said. “So, it was a huge confidence-booster for our team coming from a small school.
“I think (the season) is going to go really good, based off this game. We just need to fix a few things, and then we’ll be perfect.”
Both teams squandered several good scoring chances and each side had a great chance to win the game in the closing minutes.
Oswego senior forward Omar Carreno was stopped twice in the last nine minutes by Naperville Central goalkeeper Brad Palagi, who saved a hard 12-yard shot on the near post and the sprawled to his right to knock a point-blank attempt around the left post.
The Redhawks then had victory in sight when Dosen had an open volley from just beyond the penalty spot. But Oswego goalie Kade Gutierrez had come out to cut down the angle and made the stop with 40 ticks left.
“It is a really good result for us,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “This team is really tough. The challenge for us was to at least get a tie, and we accomplished that.”
The Panthers return only five starters and have a blend of young and old. They have a challenging early schedule that also includes Wheaton Warrenville South on Monday before the Best of the West tournament begins Tuesday against two-time defending state champion Naperville North.
“I love the competition,” Arias said. “I love the challenge, and I think these guys love it too. That’s what we learn from.”
Arias likes what he sees so far, especially rallying for the tie on the road against a bigger team that had already played two games.
“We have a lot of young talent,” Arias said. “Their mentality is just to go out there and do the best we can and try to get good results.
“We don’t put our head down. If we’re down, we go even harder.
“We really played together. A little bit of miscommunication, but I think overall we did a great job.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
GK Kade Gutierrrez
D Evan Koscis
D Johnathan Kraemer
D Maxwell Glover
D Jacob Stack
M Steven Udy
M Jack O’Reilly
M Martin Imbronjev
F Mason McCaw
F Norman Hernandez
F Omar Carreno
Naperville Central
GK Ethan Conners
D Cameron Strang
D Andrew Zain
D Seth Landzion
D Jake Crawford
M Rohan Bhargava
M Rokas Burnos
M Owen Jarrell
F Roman Krupka
F Finn Wolfe
F Anthony Saavedra
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Owen Jarrell, jr, M, Naperville Central
Scoring summary
First half
Oswego – Maxwell Glover (Steven Udy), 32:09
Naperville Central – Owen Jarrell (U/A), 23:31
Second half
Naperville Central – Finn Wolfe (Jarrell), 36:45
Oswego – Mason McCaw (Udy), 13:40
Visiting Panthers score bookend goals in 2-2 deadlock
By Matt Le Cren
NAPERVILLE – Owen Jarrell had the type of game that he and Naperville Central coach Troy Adams have been waiting for.
Jarrell, a junior midfielder, had a goal and an assist Saturday during a performance that earned him Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors.
His effort, however, was not enough to lift the host Redhawks to victory. Oswego scored twice on headers off corner kicks, including the game-tying goal by Mason McCaw with 13:40 left in the second half, to earn a 2-2 draw at Memorial Stadium.
“A tie feels like a loss to us in this situation, but it’s still (early in the) season,” Jarrell said. “We’re trying to get better, we’re trying to figure things out.
“I think we had moments where we dominated and were able to possess the ball. But at times we were lax defensively, so we’ve got to fix that.
“That’s not just on one person. That’s on the whole team. We’ve got to coordinate.”
Indeed, what was noteworthy – and impressive on the part of Oswego – was how the visiting Panthers scored against the usually stingy Redhawks.
Both goals came on high balls off the foot of Steven Udy, who somehow figured out how to break down Naperville Central’s corner kick defense.
The first Oswego goal opened the scoring at the 32:09 mark of the first half. Maxwell Glover powered home the header on the Panthers’ first shot of the game for a 1-0 lead.
The Redhawks responded well and appeared to have the upper hand midway through the second half before losing their advantage on another corner kick.
This time it was McCaw who rose up just inside the right post to flick Udy’s serve from the left corner into the upper 90 to cap the scoring.
“I don’t really remember how we got the corner,” McCaw said. “I just remember getting it, and then he crossed it in.
“I saw it going over their huge center back (Cameron Strang), so I just stepped up, put my head into it, and it went in.”
That wasn’t what the Redhawks (1-0-2) wanted to see.
“We’ve given up three goals, and all three have been on dead balls,” Adams said. “It’s very frustrating, because we’ve said one of the strengths of our team this year should be set pieces.
“We’ve got some height; our goalkeepers are both 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 and can jump. So we’ll take a look at the film.
“I would imagine it’s just players not staying with runners and not willing to do the little things that it takes. That’s usually what set pieces are. Those are things we can clean up.”
Even so, the Panthers (0-0-1) showed skill in figuring out how to beat Central’s defense.
“They were playing in some very deadly balls, and we've got to figure those out better,” Jarrell said. “We’ve got to have a ball-winner in the middle who just goes after the ball.
“When it’s up there (in the air), we’ve got to go get it.”
While his defense should be solid again this season, Adams is looking for someone who can get after it at the other end. That person could be Jarrell, who is a dual-threat as a passer and shooter.
He showcased that versatility against the Panthers, scoring on a header to tie the game 1-1 with 23:31 left in the first half and then setting up the go-ahead strike with 36:45 remaining in the second half.
Jarrell had the ball on the left side of the field about 30 yards from the Oswego goal when he burst past a defender into space, sped perpendicular to the six and whipped in a cross that found the head of forward Finn Wolfe for a 2-1 lead.
It was Wolfe’s second goal of the season and both came on nearly identical plays. Ivan Dosen set up Wolfe’s previous goal in a win over Plainfield Central.
“He has that capability,” Adams said of Jarrell. “He has the ability to break people down 1-on-1.
“This is his third year, and he’s been making progress every year about his decision-making. When do I actually want to take a guy 1-on-1 versus when do I want to distribute and look to collect it later?”
Maybe Jarrell has that figured out.
“When he came off, I told him that was a great example of you recognizing the situation, that you seized it and win at it,” Adams said. “The thing is he also went at speed.
“We’ve also tried to stress to guys that if you’re going to beat people and score it’s got to be done at speed.”
That’s something Naperville Central’s attacking players, most of who have limited varsity experience, are in the process of learning.
“We are kind of hesitant at times to go after it,” Adams said. “As a forward you have to have the mindset that I’m going to fail way more than I’m going to succeed.
“It’s almost more of a baseball mentality. As a forward, you’re going to be wrong nine out of 10 times. You only have to be right once, so it’s getting that mentality going.”
Performances like Saturday’s are an indication Jarrell has that mentality.
“I think this was a breakout game for me,” Jarrell said. “I want to keep this up.
“I want to keep racking up the assists and the goals, and I want to impact the team any way I can.”
The same is true of McCaw, who was encouraged by leaving Naperville with a tie.
“(Naperville Central) is a big school. A lot of big schools have good teams, and they were a good team,” McCaw said. “So, it was a huge confidence-booster for our team coming from a small school.
“I think (the season) is going to go really good, based off this game. We just need to fix a few things, and then we’ll be perfect.”
Both teams squandered several good scoring chances and each side had a great chance to win the game in the closing minutes.
Oswego senior forward Omar Carreno was stopped twice in the last nine minutes by Naperville Central goalkeeper Brad Palagi, who saved a hard 12-yard shot on the near post and the sprawled to his right to knock a point-blank attempt around the left post.
The Redhawks then had victory in sight when Dosen had an open volley from just beyond the penalty spot. But Oswego goalie Kade Gutierrez had come out to cut down the angle and made the stop with 40 ticks left.
“It is a really good result for us,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “This team is really tough. The challenge for us was to at least get a tie, and we accomplished that.”
The Panthers return only five starters and have a blend of young and old. They have a challenging early schedule that also includes Wheaton Warrenville South on Monday before the Best of the West tournament begins Tuesday against two-time defending state champion Naperville North.
“I love the competition,” Arias said. “I love the challenge, and I think these guys love it too. That’s what we learn from.”
Arias likes what he sees so far, especially rallying for the tie on the road against a bigger team that had already played two games.
“We have a lot of young talent,” Arias said. “Their mentality is just to go out there and do the best we can and try to get good results.
“We don’t put our head down. If we’re down, we go even harder.
“We really played together. A little bit of miscommunication, but I think overall we did a great job.”
Starting lineups
Oswego
GK Kade Gutierrrez
D Evan Koscis
D Johnathan Kraemer
D Maxwell Glover
D Jacob Stack
M Steven Udy
M Jack O’Reilly
M Martin Imbronjev
F Mason McCaw
F Norman Hernandez
F Omar Carreno
Naperville Central
GK Ethan Conners
D Cameron Strang
D Andrew Zain
D Seth Landzion
D Jake Crawford
M Rohan Bhargava
M Rokas Burnos
M Owen Jarrell
F Roman Krupka
F Finn Wolfe
F Anthony Saavedra
Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match – Owen Jarrell, jr, M, Naperville Central
Scoring summary
First half
Oswego – Maxwell Glover (Steven Udy), 32:09
Naperville Central – Owen Jarrell (U/A), 23:31
Second half
Naperville Central – Finn Wolfe (Jarrell), 36:45
Oswego – Mason McCaw (Udy), 13:40