Oswego recovers for OT win vs. Plainfield N
No. 25 hosts squander 3-goal lead, McCaw hat-trick seals victory
By Steve Nemeth
OSWEGO --- Saturday was an example of Southwest Prairie Conference soccer at its very best.
Oswego initially looked every bit like the league's defending champion and visiting Plainfield North more than held its own, challenging to the literal end of a second overtime session.
Ultimately Oswego, ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, refocused after North made a dramatic comeback to force overtime. The hosts finally clawed their way to a 4-3 triumph in a battle between two league unbeatens.
Led by Mason McCaw’s hat-trick, which made him the obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, Oswego (9-2-1, 3-0-0) scored early in the first of two, 10-minute extra sessions, and then denied Plainfield North (9-6-1, 3-1-0) on a late try seconds before the final horn.
“Our continued effort earned us a victory,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “(Plainfield North) made that effort necessary.”
The Panthers appeared to be headed for an easy victory after turning a 2-0 halftime lead into a three-goal margin early in the second half. However North, which has already matched last year’s total for league triumphs, took advantage of opportunities to pull to within a goal and then attacked relentlessly for the last nine minutes.
And a scramble in front of the Oswego’s goal turned into an equalizer with just over a minute left in regulation clearly giving the Tigers all the momentum for the start of extended play. But the Panthers displayed the same type of combination play that produced earlier scores. With only 2:07 elapsed in the initial 10-minute overtime, McCaw faced North goalie Alex Nower and simply blasted a 13-yarder past the keeper for his first varsity hat-trick.
“It’s a great feeling especially to have it produce a victory,” McCaw said, who also boosted his goal tally to 17 this year after notching six during his first varsity campaign in 2017. “I’d say there are a few factors. Last year I was an outside midfielder and now primarily it’s a center forward role, so I’m seeing the ball more. That and credit my teammates for finding me in spaces to work with the ball.”
Although Oswego kept hammering away in a variety of ways and even had a potential second overtime goal waived off by an offside whistle, the win remained in doubt until Panthers goalie Kade Gutierrez caught a Shea Bechtel header with 4.8 seconds still to tick away.
“We’re never happy with a loss, but I have to be happy with how we competed,” Plainfield North coach Stephen Berry said. “Being down 0-3 and not giving up, taking a header with five seconds is a tribute to these guys. It’s the 100th minute, and they’re still do what they can to not lose.”
Once again a loss seemed to be the Tigers’ destiny despite registering the match’s first shot on goal. Gutierrez tipped that try over the crossbar 7:13 into the match. Then came a whole series of Oswego efforts.
Martin Imbronjev pounced on a loose ball but the shot sailed just wide left. On another cross, the junior midfielder got a foot on it only to have that try soar too high. Johnny Kraemer attacked from the left and North’s Noser made a block but gave up a rebound which Kraemer sent wide left. Kraemer had another boot go wide before the Tigers made a counterattack that was snuffed out with Panthers keeper Gutierrez racing out for a defensive cover.
But with 18:35 elapsed, Imbronjev headed a pass originating on the left, back across the front of the net which allowed Carreno to score on an 11-yard header.
“Seeing the ball from Martin, I just prepared to head it where the keeper couldn’t get to it,” Carreno said of his 17th goal of the year. “I knew it was good contact but a little soft, so I had to wait to make sure it got into the net.”
Imbronjev was glad to help put Oswego in the lead.
“It was a good opportunity to get the ball to teammates and the importance of the first goal is the boost in confidence,” he said.
The Panthers continued attacking with Joey Pagone ripping a 17-yarder that required Noser to dive to his left for a save. Tiger defender Patrick Elster cut off a potential 1-v.-1 for Oswego by intercepting a pass. But there was no denying the hosts at 26:07. Once again Imbronjev nodded the ball to the opposite side where McCaw used his head for an eight-yarder tucked inside the near post.
“That was just a case of finishing off a quality set-up,” McCaw said.
“Sometimes it feels better to get an assist because you know it’s a play that leads to a goal,” Imbronjev said of his fourth helper of the season. “We appreciate our fan support, so it’s important to reward them with a reason to cheer.”
Two minutes later, Plainfield North had one of its two scoring threats for the opening 40 minutes when Kanon Woodill boomed a 41-yard direct kick that Gutierrez handled on one hop. Kraemer had a cannon shot that went high while. Pagone finished out the half missing the upper left corner.
The second half also began with Plainfield North making the first threat, a Bechtel try off a corner kick sailed high.
Exhibiting the kind of quality possession which has become an Oswego trademark under Arias, the Panthers upped their advantage at 42:31. Carreno’s pass led to McCaw slipping the ball inside the left post.
“It seemed like Omar dribbled like five guys and his pass required just a tap home,” McCaw said.
While Oswego gained that three-goal advantage by exhibiting quality passing to maintain possession or initiate an attack, the Panthers also continually doubled back to either support or maintain a defense that was bending but not breaking. However, the hosts appeared to take the foot of the gas a little.
At 56:21, Plainfield North's Woodill cross found teammate Dilan Anweiler in the open to make a sharp 12-yard header to put Plainfield North on the scoreboard.
“Knowing Kanon serves a good ball, I normally head toward the back post. I was in the right place at the right time,” Anweiler said. “It gave us a boost.”
That combined with Oswego's inability unable to convert an additional goal add to its lead and it did help the Tigers.
There was 16:50 remaining in regulation when McCaw curved a direct kick around a North defensive wall but Noser made the stop. At the opposite end, the Tigers took three-straight corner kicks before Oswego keeper Gutierrez jumped for a defensive snag. With 10:30 left, Carreno had a breakaway lead to a 1-v.-1 but North’s Noser made his most impressive save of the day with a tap out. It yielded a corner that the Panthers failed to capitalize on.
With 8:12 still showing, Woodill cut the deficit to one with an impressive 23-yard direct kick.
“I was looking at the goal and told myself I had to put it on frame. Luckily, the goalie was out a little too far,” Woodill noted in regard to his first goal. “It felt fantastic, especially because it really put us back in the running being down one with several minutes still left.”
With Plainfield North increasing the intensity of its offense, the ball was ricocheting in front of the Oswego net when Anweiler got his second score of the match and third for the year. The Tigers sophomore admitted it may not have been his best touch, but there was enough on it that when Gutierrez tried for a swipe save, it eluded him.
After the requisite five-minute break, the two teams took the field for the non-golden goal pair of 10-minute extra sessions. With Arias reaffirming his belief in the team and their capabilities, the Panthers came out demonstrating the kind of possession they began the day with. Carreno boosted his assist total to nine by setting up McCaw in the open for his eventual game-winner.
“Omar gave me a great through-ball, and I had time to see where the keeper was and pick out the spot I wanted to shoot for,” McCaw said.
The game took a toll on both teams.
“That was emotionally depleting,” North coach Berry acknowledged. “Coming back from being down three, having momentum going into overtime, that set us back temporarily. But again we didn’t totally give up. We’ve scored three goals with 20 seconds or less, so we believe we can find a way.”
With 90 minutes in the book, Oswego began the final session with a Steven Udy 19-yard blast that Noser initially bobbled, but then covered. Around 6:11 to go, an Oswego corner was bounced around before being cleared. It was followed by a potential nail-in-the-coffin goal that was waived off.
Nex Gutierrez rushed out to cover a ball before the Tigers could close in on a possible through-ball. North’s efforts continued to the very end with the Bechtel header that Gutierrez caught to seal the win.
“The big lesson for us is to play that hard at the start, right from the first whistle, put the pressure on,” Anweiler said.
Oswego’s game-long effort was reflected in the statistics. The Panthers had eight of their 32 overall attempts during the overtimes. In comparison, the Tigers had one out of their 11.
In terms of shots on goal, four of Oswego’s 18 came in extra time compared to one of nine for North. The Panthers also had three of eight corner kicks during the additional 20 minutes.
The loss ended a four-match win streak for North which enteres a stretch of four-straight Southwest Prairie Conference matches before a nonconference visit to Wheaton Academy before the SPC finale. The Tigers visit Minooka on Tuesday.
Since a 1-2-1 start, Oswego has now won eight-straight but is in the middle of a trying stretch. The Panthers are back in action on Sunday (Sept. 23) facing Woodstock for a bracket championship within the PepsiCo Showdown. On Tuesday, they host Plainfield East with a Thursday visit to Romeoville for two more SPC matches.
“Our team bonding has helped our teamwork and attitude,” senior Luis Mendez insisted. “Everyone is playing for each other, and that’s what we need to keep this winning streak going.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield North
GK Alex Noser
D Lloyd Quezada
D Patrick Elster
D Kanon Woodill
D Marcos Papakostas
D Colin Russell
M John Seeley
M Nathan Green
M Yousef Ismail
F Adan Juarez Jr.
F Shea Bechtel
Oswego
GK Kade Gutierrez
D Evan Kocsis
D Johnny Kraemer
D Collin Moran
D Joey Pagone
M Danny Gaytan
M Jack O’Reilly
M Steven Udy
M Martin Imbronjev
F Mason McCaw
F Omar Carreno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Mason McCaw, jr., F, Oswego
Referees: Jose Arriola (center), Ulises Ornela, Chris Messina
Game summary
Oswego 4, Plainfield North 3 (2 OT)
1 2 OT1 OT2 F Records
Plainfield North 0 3 0 0 3 9-6-1/3-0-1
Oswego 2 1 1 0 4 9-2-1/3-0-0
Scoring
First half
O – Carreno 11-yard header from left side left post (Imbronjev assist), 18:35 gone
O – McCaw second header from nine yards out on left side (Imbronjev assist), 26:07 gone
Second half
O – McCaw left of center 8-yard shot tucked inside near post (Carreno assist), 42:31 gone
PN – Anweiler sharp 12-yard header off cross (Woodill assist), 56:21 gone
PN – Woodill 25-yard direct free kick cracker inside far right post (unssisted), 71:48 gone
PN – Anweiler 6-yard putback off a block partially batted in by keeper (unassisted), 78:58 gone
First overtime
O – McCaw cut back to center to tee up 13-yard rocket (Carreno assist), 82:07 gone
Second overtime
None
Shots
PN 2 – 8 – 0 – 1 --- 11
O 14 – 10 – 2 – 6 --- 32
Shots on goal
PN 2 – 6 – 0 – 1 --- 9
O 7 – 7 – 1 – 3 --- 18
Saves (GK/defender)
PN (Noser, 100 min.) 5 – 6 – 0 – 2 (Russell 1) --- 14
O (Gutierrez, 100 min.) 2 – 3 – 0 – 1 --- 6
Corner kicks
PN 0 – 6 – 0 – 0 --- 6
O 3 – 2 – 1 – 2 --- 8
Offsides
PN 0 – 2 – 1 – 0 --- 3
O 2 – 1 – 0 – 1 --- 4
No. 25 hosts squander 3-goal lead, McCaw hat-trick seals victory
By Steve Nemeth
OSWEGO --- Saturday was an example of Southwest Prairie Conference soccer at its very best.
Oswego initially looked every bit like the league's defending champion and visiting Plainfield North more than held its own, challenging to the literal end of a second overtime session.
Ultimately Oswego, ranked no. 25 in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25, refocused after North made a dramatic comeback to force overtime. The hosts finally clawed their way to a 4-3 triumph in a battle between two league unbeatens.
Led by Mason McCaw’s hat-trick, which made him the obvious choice for Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, Oswego (9-2-1, 3-0-0) scored early in the first of two, 10-minute extra sessions, and then denied Plainfield North (9-6-1, 3-1-0) on a late try seconds before the final horn.
“Our continued effort earned us a victory,” Oswego coach Gaspar Arias said. “(Plainfield North) made that effort necessary.”
The Panthers appeared to be headed for an easy victory after turning a 2-0 halftime lead into a three-goal margin early in the second half. However North, which has already matched last year’s total for league triumphs, took advantage of opportunities to pull to within a goal and then attacked relentlessly for the last nine minutes.
And a scramble in front of the Oswego’s goal turned into an equalizer with just over a minute left in regulation clearly giving the Tigers all the momentum for the start of extended play. But the Panthers displayed the same type of combination play that produced earlier scores. With only 2:07 elapsed in the initial 10-minute overtime, McCaw faced North goalie Alex Nower and simply blasted a 13-yarder past the keeper for his first varsity hat-trick.
“It’s a great feeling especially to have it produce a victory,” McCaw said, who also boosted his goal tally to 17 this year after notching six during his first varsity campaign in 2017. “I’d say there are a few factors. Last year I was an outside midfielder and now primarily it’s a center forward role, so I’m seeing the ball more. That and credit my teammates for finding me in spaces to work with the ball.”
Although Oswego kept hammering away in a variety of ways and even had a potential second overtime goal waived off by an offside whistle, the win remained in doubt until Panthers goalie Kade Gutierrez caught a Shea Bechtel header with 4.8 seconds still to tick away.
“We’re never happy with a loss, but I have to be happy with how we competed,” Plainfield North coach Stephen Berry said. “Being down 0-3 and not giving up, taking a header with five seconds is a tribute to these guys. It’s the 100th minute, and they’re still do what they can to not lose.”
Once again a loss seemed to be the Tigers’ destiny despite registering the match’s first shot on goal. Gutierrez tipped that try over the crossbar 7:13 into the match. Then came a whole series of Oswego efforts.
Martin Imbronjev pounced on a loose ball but the shot sailed just wide left. On another cross, the junior midfielder got a foot on it only to have that try soar too high. Johnny Kraemer attacked from the left and North’s Noser made a block but gave up a rebound which Kraemer sent wide left. Kraemer had another boot go wide before the Tigers made a counterattack that was snuffed out with Panthers keeper Gutierrez racing out for a defensive cover.
But with 18:35 elapsed, Imbronjev headed a pass originating on the left, back across the front of the net which allowed Carreno to score on an 11-yard header.
“Seeing the ball from Martin, I just prepared to head it where the keeper couldn’t get to it,” Carreno said of his 17th goal of the year. “I knew it was good contact but a little soft, so I had to wait to make sure it got into the net.”
Imbronjev was glad to help put Oswego in the lead.
“It was a good opportunity to get the ball to teammates and the importance of the first goal is the boost in confidence,” he said.
The Panthers continued attacking with Joey Pagone ripping a 17-yarder that required Noser to dive to his left for a save. Tiger defender Patrick Elster cut off a potential 1-v.-1 for Oswego by intercepting a pass. But there was no denying the hosts at 26:07. Once again Imbronjev nodded the ball to the opposite side where McCaw used his head for an eight-yarder tucked inside the near post.
“That was just a case of finishing off a quality set-up,” McCaw said.
“Sometimes it feels better to get an assist because you know it’s a play that leads to a goal,” Imbronjev said of his fourth helper of the season. “We appreciate our fan support, so it’s important to reward them with a reason to cheer.”
Two minutes later, Plainfield North had one of its two scoring threats for the opening 40 minutes when Kanon Woodill boomed a 41-yard direct kick that Gutierrez handled on one hop. Kraemer had a cannon shot that went high while. Pagone finished out the half missing the upper left corner.
The second half also began with Plainfield North making the first threat, a Bechtel try off a corner kick sailed high.
Exhibiting the kind of quality possession which has become an Oswego trademark under Arias, the Panthers upped their advantage at 42:31. Carreno’s pass led to McCaw slipping the ball inside the left post.
“It seemed like Omar dribbled like five guys and his pass required just a tap home,” McCaw said.
While Oswego gained that three-goal advantage by exhibiting quality passing to maintain possession or initiate an attack, the Panthers also continually doubled back to either support or maintain a defense that was bending but not breaking. However, the hosts appeared to take the foot of the gas a little.
At 56:21, Plainfield North's Woodill cross found teammate Dilan Anweiler in the open to make a sharp 12-yard header to put Plainfield North on the scoreboard.
“Knowing Kanon serves a good ball, I normally head toward the back post. I was in the right place at the right time,” Anweiler said. “It gave us a boost.”
That combined with Oswego's inability unable to convert an additional goal add to its lead and it did help the Tigers.
There was 16:50 remaining in regulation when McCaw curved a direct kick around a North defensive wall but Noser made the stop. At the opposite end, the Tigers took three-straight corner kicks before Oswego keeper Gutierrez jumped for a defensive snag. With 10:30 left, Carreno had a breakaway lead to a 1-v.-1 but North’s Noser made his most impressive save of the day with a tap out. It yielded a corner that the Panthers failed to capitalize on.
With 8:12 still showing, Woodill cut the deficit to one with an impressive 23-yard direct kick.
“I was looking at the goal and told myself I had to put it on frame. Luckily, the goalie was out a little too far,” Woodill noted in regard to his first goal. “It felt fantastic, especially because it really put us back in the running being down one with several minutes still left.”
With Plainfield North increasing the intensity of its offense, the ball was ricocheting in front of the Oswego net when Anweiler got his second score of the match and third for the year. The Tigers sophomore admitted it may not have been his best touch, but there was enough on it that when Gutierrez tried for a swipe save, it eluded him.
After the requisite five-minute break, the two teams took the field for the non-golden goal pair of 10-minute extra sessions. With Arias reaffirming his belief in the team and their capabilities, the Panthers came out demonstrating the kind of possession they began the day with. Carreno boosted his assist total to nine by setting up McCaw in the open for his eventual game-winner.
“Omar gave me a great through-ball, and I had time to see where the keeper was and pick out the spot I wanted to shoot for,” McCaw said.
The game took a toll on both teams.
“That was emotionally depleting,” North coach Berry acknowledged. “Coming back from being down three, having momentum going into overtime, that set us back temporarily. But again we didn’t totally give up. We’ve scored three goals with 20 seconds or less, so we believe we can find a way.”
With 90 minutes in the book, Oswego began the final session with a Steven Udy 19-yard blast that Noser initially bobbled, but then covered. Around 6:11 to go, an Oswego corner was bounced around before being cleared. It was followed by a potential nail-in-the-coffin goal that was waived off.
Nex Gutierrez rushed out to cover a ball before the Tigers could close in on a possible through-ball. North’s efforts continued to the very end with the Bechtel header that Gutierrez caught to seal the win.
“The big lesson for us is to play that hard at the start, right from the first whistle, put the pressure on,” Anweiler said.
Oswego’s game-long effort was reflected in the statistics. The Panthers had eight of their 32 overall attempts during the overtimes. In comparison, the Tigers had one out of their 11.
In terms of shots on goal, four of Oswego’s 18 came in extra time compared to one of nine for North. The Panthers also had three of eight corner kicks during the additional 20 minutes.
The loss ended a four-match win streak for North which enteres a stretch of four-straight Southwest Prairie Conference matches before a nonconference visit to Wheaton Academy before the SPC finale. The Tigers visit Minooka on Tuesday.
Since a 1-2-1 start, Oswego has now won eight-straight but is in the middle of a trying stretch. The Panthers are back in action on Sunday (Sept. 23) facing Woodstock for a bracket championship within the PepsiCo Showdown. On Tuesday, they host Plainfield East with a Thursday visit to Romeoville for two more SPC matches.
“Our team bonding has helped our teamwork and attitude,” senior Luis Mendez insisted. “Everyone is playing for each other, and that’s what we need to keep this winning streak going.”
Starting lineups
Plainfield North
GK Alex Noser
D Lloyd Quezada
D Patrick Elster
D Kanon Woodill
D Marcos Papakostas
D Colin Russell
M John Seeley
M Nathan Green
M Yousef Ismail
F Adan Juarez Jr.
F Shea Bechtel
Oswego
GK Kade Gutierrez
D Evan Kocsis
D Johnny Kraemer
D Collin Moran
D Joey Pagone
M Danny Gaytan
M Jack O’Reilly
M Steven Udy
M Martin Imbronjev
F Mason McCaw
F Omar Carreno
Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Mason McCaw, jr., F, Oswego
Referees: Jose Arriola (center), Ulises Ornela, Chris Messina
Game summary
Oswego 4, Plainfield North 3 (2 OT)
1 2 OT1 OT2 F Records
Plainfield North 0 3 0 0 3 9-6-1/3-0-1
Oswego 2 1 1 0 4 9-2-1/3-0-0
Scoring
First half
O – Carreno 11-yard header from left side left post (Imbronjev assist), 18:35 gone
O – McCaw second header from nine yards out on left side (Imbronjev assist), 26:07 gone
Second half
O – McCaw left of center 8-yard shot tucked inside near post (Carreno assist), 42:31 gone
PN – Anweiler sharp 12-yard header off cross (Woodill assist), 56:21 gone
PN – Woodill 25-yard direct free kick cracker inside far right post (unssisted), 71:48 gone
PN – Anweiler 6-yard putback off a block partially batted in by keeper (unassisted), 78:58 gone
First overtime
O – McCaw cut back to center to tee up 13-yard rocket (Carreno assist), 82:07 gone
Second overtime
None
Shots
PN 2 – 8 – 0 – 1 --- 11
O 14 – 10 – 2 – 6 --- 32
Shots on goal
PN 2 – 6 – 0 – 1 --- 9
O 7 – 7 – 1 – 3 --- 18
Saves (GK/defender)
PN (Noser, 100 min.) 5 – 6 – 0 – 2 (Russell 1) --- 14
O (Gutierrez, 100 min.) 2 – 3 – 0 – 1 --- 6
Corner kicks
PN 0 – 6 – 0 – 0 --- 6
O 3 – 2 – 1 – 2 --- 8
Offsides
PN 0 – 2 – 1 – 0 --- 3
O 2 – 1 – 0 – 1 --- 4