Oswego shows power, takes Pepsi title
Carreno hat trick powers 7-1 win vs. Woodstock in Army bracket
By Dave Owen
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – The Energizer Bunny is a slacker compared to Oswego’s soccer team.
One day after battling to a 4-3 overtime win over Plainfield North, the Panthers (10-2-1) started fast with two goals in the first 1:36 of the PepsiCo Showdown U.S. Army bracket title game against Woodstock (13-4-0).
And instead of showing later fatigue, Oswego kept going and going and going for a 7-1 win to earn a midseason tournament title to celebrate.
“In the first half (Saturday) we were up 3-0, and I think in the second half we got comfortable and stopped playing our game,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “We thought it was going to be an easy game, and it turned out it changed everything after they put one goal in.
“Today I thought this would be a really challenging game after that (overtime), and it was. Woodstock is very good. But we had those opportunities early, and we took them.”
Omar Carreno wasted no time getting started Sunday. He took advantage of his chances and took over the game.
Just 1:09 into the match, the senior forward took a nice send from Martin Imbronjev and drove an 8-yard shot into the net for a quick 1-0 Oswego lead.
Only 27 seconds later, passes by Danny Gaytan and Carreno set up Steven Udy on the left side. His low liner inside the right post double Oswego’s early advantage.
“We came out with high intensity,” said Carreno, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his three-goal, one-assist day. “We were hungry to win this game because we worked so hard to get in (a title game) position. Now it paid off finally.
“The whole team has good chemistry. The offense with me, Mason (McCaw), Martin and Danny are a tough combination up-top.”
And instead of being fatigued by Saturday’s OT battle, Carreno felt his team was inspired to keep its foot on the gas.
“We went to overtime because we made some little mistakes (late), but it was OK because we won.,” Carreno said. “Today we had high intensity. We wanted to win this game. That game gave us more energy to get this done today.”
That energy continued full force after taking the 2-0 lead.
Carreno followed with a 10-yard header on goal just three minutes in, and a Carreno shot was deflected just wide of the right post in the 14th minute.
On a Gaytan header off a corner kick in the 15th minute, Woodstock goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez got a hand out to deflect the shot wide as the Oswego barrage continued.
But in an scenario unique to soccer and maybe boxing, complete domination can change in the blink of an eye.
That happened with 11:12 left in the half, when a 45-yard free kick by Woodstock’s Hector Reynoso ended with teammate Maclean Buckley’s 12-yard header inside the left post. Suddenly, Oswego’s five-plus quality chances and 2-0 lead had slimmed down into a 2-1 difference.
Then just as quickly, Carreno took over the match again.
Taking a send from midfield at about the 30 yard-line, Carreno headed the ball upfield to himself twice on his right side run, then powered a 10-yard shot inside the left post.
Just 21 seconds after seeing its lead cut to 2-1, Oswego regained its two-goal advantage.
And the Panthers never looked back.
“They came out quick and got a couple of goals on us,” Woodstock coach Matt Warmbier said. “We finally settled in to play, and I thought for about 25 minutes we were pretty even with them.
“Then we were able to get the goal to cut it to 2-1, but we didn’t really have an answer to their one kid (Carreno).
“He was the best player I’ve seen this season,” Warmbier added. “He was able to answer right back on us and make it 3-1, and I think too many of our kids kind of started to put their heads down.”
Carreno was narrowly denied a first half hat-trick in the 35th minute, taking a pass from Collin Moran and lining a 10-yard shot that Alvarez dove to stop at the right post.
Then just 2:52 before halftime, a seemingly harmless 55-yard free kick by Oswego developed into another goal and a 4-1 halftime lead.
On the long send to the upper right edge of the box, a foul was called on Woodstock for fouling on a 50-50 header attempt. McCaw buried the ensuing penalty kick, and Oswego ended the half with even more momentum.
Yet there was even more offense to come.
Carreno was dangerous yet again with 31:50 left, rushing in left but having his drive to the left post denied by another Alvarez diving stop.
Two minutes later, Carreno claimed his elusive hat-trick goal, giving him an even 20 goals on the year (to go with nine assists). And with it, Oswego led 5-1 with 29:46 to play.
The Panthers’ offense was eye-opening from the start and seldom let up.
“Our transition from defense to offense (was the key),” Arias said. “When we get the ball, we all know we need to push up and counterattack.
“We countered really quick, and we have players that are really fast and able to finish the goals.”
With 26:47 left, Oswego used perfect aim from distance to add to the lead.
After Jack O’Reilly was fouled, Panthers defender Johnny Kraemer took the ensuing 36-yard free kick. Keeping up with Oswego’s forwards, Kraemer was on the mark and lined a perfectly placed rocket just under the crossbar for a 6-1 lead.
“I heard one of the guys on the bench yell ‘Just hit it,’: Kraemer said, “and I figured we’re up so why not, have a go? I got lucky and it went in.”
By that time, the writing was all over the wall for Woodstock.
“As the second half unfolded, with this tournament and our other schedule, it’s been a real bear on us,” Warmbier said. “We got to 5-1 (down) and I tried to rest some of our guys with conference games this week.
“I think most people were shocked we got to where we were,” Warmbier added. “We came out and showed that we can play with some of the bigger schools and better teams in the area. I wish today we had a better showing, but sometimes things don’t go that way.”
However, things continued to go Oswego’s way.
A nice send by Imbronjev with 22:15 to go ended with a McCaw chip past the Woodstock goalkeeper but just wide of the right post.
Then with 17:09 left, defense turned to offense to produce the day’s final goal.
A defensive end clear by Oswego’s Joseph Pagone launched a high-speed counterattack. Carreno’s pass to Udy ended with junior being tackled in the box.
Udy put away the ensuing penalty kick for his second goal of the game and a 7-1 margin.
After several years in the PepsiCo Showdown without a trophy, Oswego emphatically seized its bracket title Sunday.
“We haven’t had this (success) since the tournament started,” Arias said. “For us just to get to the final was amazing. Winning it is another thing. Right now they’re going to believe how good they are, and I’m proud of them.”
The tournament’s traditional ceremony of the winning team dousing each other with two-liter bottles full of Pepsi after the game produced a lot of happy Panthers – not to mention pleasing every bee and ant in Arlington Heights.
“It’s a really good tournament, big in Illinois,” Carreno said. “So I’m really proud of my team that we did this and won this one.”
The four-game tournament sweep has taken Oswego’s already lofty confidence even higher.
“I thought we grew as a team,” Kraemer said. “We started to move the ball a lot better (during the tournament), and our finishing has definitely improved. And so has our team chemistry.”
With the win Oswego moved up one spot to 24th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
In the afterglow of the 7-1 win and title celebration, the Panthers’ determination from the opening seconds of play remained paramount.
“We were just really excited and wanted to get after it right away,” Kraemer said. “We thought as a team that if we get on top of them early, it would help us a lot in the long run.
“I thought we moved the ball really well, and played as a team. And it all worked out in the end.”
Starting lineups
Woodstock
GK: Sergio Alvarez
D: Ryan Azzaline
D: Eduardo Cortez
D: Dylan Gonzalez
D: Jose Tolentino
M: McLean Buckley
M: Alex Diaz
M: Oscar Escorza
M: Brian Rico
F: Denis Gjoni
F: Hector Reynoso
Oswego
GK: Kade Gutierrez
D: Jonny Kraemer
D: Jack O’Reilly
D: Joey Motto
D: Evan Kocsis
M: Danny Gaytan
M: Martin Imbronjev
M: Steven Udy
M: Collin Moran
F: Mason McCaw
F: Omar Carreno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Omar Carreno, sr. F, Oswego
Scoring summary
First half
Osw – Omar Carreno (Martin Imbronjev), 2nd minute
Osw – Steven Udy (Carreno), 2nd minute
W – Maclean Buckley (Hector Reynoso), 29th minute
Osw – Carreno, 30th minute
Osw – Mason McCaw (PK), 38th minute
Second half
Osw – Carreno, 51st minute
Osw – Jonny Kraemer (free kick), 54th minute
Osw – Udy (PK), 63rd minute
Carreno hat trick powers 7-1 win vs. Woodstock in Army bracket
By Dave Owen
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS – The Energizer Bunny is a slacker compared to Oswego’s soccer team.
One day after battling to a 4-3 overtime win over Plainfield North, the Panthers (10-2-1) started fast with two goals in the first 1:36 of the PepsiCo Showdown U.S. Army bracket title game against Woodstock (13-4-0).
And instead of showing later fatigue, Oswego kept going and going and going for a 7-1 win to earn a midseason tournament title to celebrate.
“In the first half (Saturday) we were up 3-0, and I think in the second half we got comfortable and stopped playing our game,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “We thought it was going to be an easy game, and it turned out it changed everything after they put one goal in.
“Today I thought this would be a really challenging game after that (overtime), and it was. Woodstock is very good. But we had those opportunities early, and we took them.”
Omar Carreno wasted no time getting started Sunday. He took advantage of his chances and took over the game.
Just 1:09 into the match, the senior forward took a nice send from Martin Imbronjev and drove an 8-yard shot into the net for a quick 1-0 Oswego lead.
Only 27 seconds later, passes by Danny Gaytan and Carreno set up Steven Udy on the left side. His low liner inside the right post double Oswego’s early advantage.
“We came out with high intensity,” said Carreno, who earned the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match honor for his three-goal, one-assist day. “We were hungry to win this game because we worked so hard to get in (a title game) position. Now it paid off finally.
“The whole team has good chemistry. The offense with me, Mason (McCaw), Martin and Danny are a tough combination up-top.”
And instead of being fatigued by Saturday’s OT battle, Carreno felt his team was inspired to keep its foot on the gas.
“We went to overtime because we made some little mistakes (late), but it was OK because we won.,” Carreno said. “Today we had high intensity. We wanted to win this game. That game gave us more energy to get this done today.”
That energy continued full force after taking the 2-0 lead.
Carreno followed with a 10-yard header on goal just three minutes in, and a Carreno shot was deflected just wide of the right post in the 14th minute.
On a Gaytan header off a corner kick in the 15th minute, Woodstock goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez got a hand out to deflect the shot wide as the Oswego barrage continued.
But in an scenario unique to soccer and maybe boxing, complete domination can change in the blink of an eye.
That happened with 11:12 left in the half, when a 45-yard free kick by Woodstock’s Hector Reynoso ended with teammate Maclean Buckley’s 12-yard header inside the left post. Suddenly, Oswego’s five-plus quality chances and 2-0 lead had slimmed down into a 2-1 difference.
Then just as quickly, Carreno took over the match again.
Taking a send from midfield at about the 30 yard-line, Carreno headed the ball upfield to himself twice on his right side run, then powered a 10-yard shot inside the left post.
Just 21 seconds after seeing its lead cut to 2-1, Oswego regained its two-goal advantage.
And the Panthers never looked back.
“They came out quick and got a couple of goals on us,” Woodstock coach Matt Warmbier said. “We finally settled in to play, and I thought for about 25 minutes we were pretty even with them.
“Then we were able to get the goal to cut it to 2-1, but we didn’t really have an answer to their one kid (Carreno).
“He was the best player I’ve seen this season,” Warmbier added. “He was able to answer right back on us and make it 3-1, and I think too many of our kids kind of started to put their heads down.”
Carreno was narrowly denied a first half hat-trick in the 35th minute, taking a pass from Collin Moran and lining a 10-yard shot that Alvarez dove to stop at the right post.
Then just 2:52 before halftime, a seemingly harmless 55-yard free kick by Oswego developed into another goal and a 4-1 halftime lead.
On the long send to the upper right edge of the box, a foul was called on Woodstock for fouling on a 50-50 header attempt. McCaw buried the ensuing penalty kick, and Oswego ended the half with even more momentum.
Yet there was even more offense to come.
Carreno was dangerous yet again with 31:50 left, rushing in left but having his drive to the left post denied by another Alvarez diving stop.
Two minutes later, Carreno claimed his elusive hat-trick goal, giving him an even 20 goals on the year (to go with nine assists). And with it, Oswego led 5-1 with 29:46 to play.
The Panthers’ offense was eye-opening from the start and seldom let up.
“Our transition from defense to offense (was the key),” Arias said. “When we get the ball, we all know we need to push up and counterattack.
“We countered really quick, and we have players that are really fast and able to finish the goals.”
With 26:47 left, Oswego used perfect aim from distance to add to the lead.
After Jack O’Reilly was fouled, Panthers defender Johnny Kraemer took the ensuing 36-yard free kick. Keeping up with Oswego’s forwards, Kraemer was on the mark and lined a perfectly placed rocket just under the crossbar for a 6-1 lead.
“I heard one of the guys on the bench yell ‘Just hit it,’: Kraemer said, “and I figured we’re up so why not, have a go? I got lucky and it went in.”
By that time, the writing was all over the wall for Woodstock.
“As the second half unfolded, with this tournament and our other schedule, it’s been a real bear on us,” Warmbier said. “We got to 5-1 (down) and I tried to rest some of our guys with conference games this week.
“I think most people were shocked we got to where we were,” Warmbier added. “We came out and showed that we can play with some of the bigger schools and better teams in the area. I wish today we had a better showing, but sometimes things don’t go that way.”
However, things continued to go Oswego’s way.
A nice send by Imbronjev with 22:15 to go ended with a McCaw chip past the Woodstock goalkeeper but just wide of the right post.
Then with 17:09 left, defense turned to offense to produce the day’s final goal.
A defensive end clear by Oswego’s Joseph Pagone launched a high-speed counterattack. Carreno’s pass to Udy ended with junior being tackled in the box.
Udy put away the ensuing penalty kick for his second goal of the game and a 7-1 margin.
After several years in the PepsiCo Showdown without a trophy, Oswego emphatically seized its bracket title Sunday.
“We haven’t had this (success) since the tournament started,” Arias said. “For us just to get to the final was amazing. Winning it is another thing. Right now they’re going to believe how good they are, and I’m proud of them.”
The tournament’s traditional ceremony of the winning team dousing each other with two-liter bottles full of Pepsi after the game produced a lot of happy Panthers – not to mention pleasing every bee and ant in Arlington Heights.
“It’s a really good tournament, big in Illinois,” Carreno said. “So I’m really proud of my team that we did this and won this one.”
The four-game tournament sweep has taken Oswego’s already lofty confidence even higher.
“I thought we grew as a team,” Kraemer said. “We started to move the ball a lot better (during the tournament), and our finishing has definitely improved. And so has our team chemistry.”
With the win Oswego moved up one spot to 24th in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
In the afterglow of the 7-1 win and title celebration, the Panthers’ determination from the opening seconds of play remained paramount.
“We were just really excited and wanted to get after it right away,” Kraemer said. “We thought as a team that if we get on top of them early, it would help us a lot in the long run.
“I thought we moved the ball really well, and played as a team. And it all worked out in the end.”
Starting lineups
Woodstock
GK: Sergio Alvarez
D: Ryan Azzaline
D: Eduardo Cortez
D: Dylan Gonzalez
D: Jose Tolentino
M: McLean Buckley
M: Alex Diaz
M: Oscar Escorza
M: Brian Rico
F: Denis Gjoni
F: Hector Reynoso
Oswego
GK: Kade Gutierrez
D: Jonny Kraemer
D: Jack O’Reilly
D: Joey Motto
D: Evan Kocsis
M: Danny Gaytan
M: Martin Imbronjev
M: Steven Udy
M: Collin Moran
F: Mason McCaw
F: Omar Carreno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Omar Carreno, sr. F, Oswego
Scoring summary
First half
Osw – Omar Carreno (Martin Imbronjev), 2nd minute
Osw – Steven Udy (Carreno), 2nd minute
W – Maclean Buckley (Hector Reynoso), 29th minute
Osw – Carreno, 30th minute
Osw – Mason McCaw (PK), 38th minute
Second half
Osw – Carreno, 51st minute
Osw – Jonny Kraemer (free kick), 54th minute
Osw – Udy (PK), 63rd minute