Naperville North, Oswego East
meet for Grade A playoff prep
By Matt Le Cren
Oswego East travels to Naperville North on Saturday for what could be a preview of a sectional championship game.
That’s not a sentence anyone thought would be written, at least not this year.
While it is no surprise that Naperville North has earned the top seed at the Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional, few foresaw that Oswego East would get the no. 2 seed, the highest in program history.
But the senior-laden Wolves, who were 13-3-1 heading into Friday’s game with West Aurora, are poised to perhaps make a historic postseason run. They have never won a regional title, but this year’s club has the goods.
“Obviously, (the sectional final) is the goal, but there is a long way to go,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors.
“It’s a really close-knit group. They’re all good friends and hang out together.”
Many of the Wolves traveled to Nashville together to watch the U.S. men’s national team tie Canada 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier on sept. 5. The trip came in the midst of Oswego East’s season-opening 12-game unbeaten streak.
“They’ve been a great group to coach, to say the least,” Szymanski said. “They come to practice every day and work hard.
“They get along well. They always compete, and they root for each other. If one guy comes out, the other guy wants the other guy to do just as well if not better than him.”
The Wolves have won thanks to a powerful offense that has scored 56 goals. Senior Ben Burns leads the way with 17 goals and nine assists, while DuPablo Parodis-Yu is a prime playmaker who has produced nine goals and 10 assists.
The juggernaut has run over a few speedbumps lately, however. The Wolves have lost three of their past five matches, all of them to Southwest Prairie Conference opponents. That has knocked them out of the conference race.
“We’ve been a little banged up,” Szymanski said. “DuPablo has missed a couple games, and he’s the key to our offense.
“Kellen Klosterman, a four-year starter, has missed games but is now coming back.”
The Wolves figure to be fully healthy against the Huskies (14-3-0), who are ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and are coming off an impressive 3-2 road win over no. 3 St. Charles East.
Of greater concern to Szymanski, whose team is ranked 16th, is his defense. After allowing only five goals in their first 10 games, the Wolves have conceded 13 in their last seven.
“I hate to say we’re in a little slump, because we’re 13-3-1, but we’ve been letting in goals that were uncharacteristic of us at the beginning of the season,” Szymanski said. “We are kind of beating ourselves.
“So, we’re trying to find our groove. We’d like to finish the season rolling.”
Naperville North presents a significant roadblock, both historically and in reality. The Wolves are 0-13-1 all-time against the Huskies. The only point came from a 2-2 tie in 2011.
Szymanski is not going to hold anything back, electing to go all-out for the win rather than saving anything for a possible playoff rematch.
“I think it’s a huge confidence boost anytime you can compete and possibly beat Naperville North,” Szymanski said. “That will give your team some confidence.
“They’re not unbeatable. I know they’re not the best they’ve ever had, but they’re also not the worst team they’ve ever had.”
Indeed, while the Huskies do not have the same depth of talent that led them to three-straight Class 3A state titles from 2016-2018, they remain formidable, especially offensively.
Junior forward Alex Barger, an Indiana commit, is one of the best players in the state and has tallied eight goals and eight assists. Wright State-bound senior striker Cam Radeke is right behind with eight goals and seven assists.
Midfielders Bryan Higgs and Jacob Ryu and forward Keegan Flaherty have been in top form in recent matches.
Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said Oswego East, which is three wins shy of the single-season program record for wins, will provide a stiff test.
“Steve has always done a great job,” Konrad said. “For all of us, if you do the right thing over and over and the talent comes in, that’s when something special happens.
“It’s our Senior Night, so we’ll have the challenge to manage the senior situation, but I’m looking forward to it.”
With only 10 days left before the playoffs start, some teams are looking to ease through the final week of the season, but the Huskies and Wolves are relishing the tough competition.
“I think we’re really fortunate to have some tough games down the stretch to keep us sharp,” Konrad said. “We still have room to grow. We have not played our best game yet.
“I know they’ve got some kids who are very crafty and good going to goal, and they’re able to score. That will be a great challenge for us. Plus, it’s nice to get a preview before the state tournament.”
Szymanski and Konrad were both asked about their strategy for the match. Will they go all-out to win the game or hold back in case they meet again in the sectional final?
“I never show all my cards,” Konrad said. “We always add a bunch of stuff.
“For us it’s another opportunity to learn and obviously we try to win every game. But the big thing is it’s another great team for us to hopefully overcome and get ready for the playoffs.”
meet for Grade A playoff prep
By Matt Le Cren
Oswego East travels to Naperville North on Saturday for what could be a preview of a sectional championship game.
That’s not a sentence anyone thought would be written, at least not this year.
While it is no surprise that Naperville North has earned the top seed at the Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional, few foresaw that Oswego East would get the no. 2 seed, the highest in program history.
But the senior-laden Wolves, who were 13-3-1 heading into Friday’s game with West Aurora, are poised to perhaps make a historic postseason run. They have never won a regional title, but this year’s club has the goods.
“Obviously, (the sectional final) is the goal, but there is a long way to go,” Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said. “We’ve got a lot of seniors.
“It’s a really close-knit group. They’re all good friends and hang out together.”
Many of the Wolves traveled to Nashville together to watch the U.S. men’s national team tie Canada 1-1 in a World Cup qualifier on sept. 5. The trip came in the midst of Oswego East’s season-opening 12-game unbeaten streak.
“They’ve been a great group to coach, to say the least,” Szymanski said. “They come to practice every day and work hard.
“They get along well. They always compete, and they root for each other. If one guy comes out, the other guy wants the other guy to do just as well if not better than him.”
The Wolves have won thanks to a powerful offense that has scored 56 goals. Senior Ben Burns leads the way with 17 goals and nine assists, while DuPablo Parodis-Yu is a prime playmaker who has produced nine goals and 10 assists.
The juggernaut has run over a few speedbumps lately, however. The Wolves have lost three of their past five matches, all of them to Southwest Prairie Conference opponents. That has knocked them out of the conference race.
“We’ve been a little banged up,” Szymanski said. “DuPablo has missed a couple games, and he’s the key to our offense.
“Kellen Klosterman, a four-year starter, has missed games but is now coming back.”
The Wolves figure to be fully healthy against the Huskies (14-3-0), who are ranked sixth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25 and are coming off an impressive 3-2 road win over no. 3 St. Charles East.
Of greater concern to Szymanski, whose team is ranked 16th, is his defense. After allowing only five goals in their first 10 games, the Wolves have conceded 13 in their last seven.
“I hate to say we’re in a little slump, because we’re 13-3-1, but we’ve been letting in goals that were uncharacteristic of us at the beginning of the season,” Szymanski said. “We are kind of beating ourselves.
“So, we’re trying to find our groove. We’d like to finish the season rolling.”
Naperville North presents a significant roadblock, both historically and in reality. The Wolves are 0-13-1 all-time against the Huskies. The only point came from a 2-2 tie in 2011.
Szymanski is not going to hold anything back, electing to go all-out for the win rather than saving anything for a possible playoff rematch.
“I think it’s a huge confidence boost anytime you can compete and possibly beat Naperville North,” Szymanski said. “That will give your team some confidence.
“They’re not unbeatable. I know they’re not the best they’ve ever had, but they’re also not the worst team they’ve ever had.”
Indeed, while the Huskies do not have the same depth of talent that led them to three-straight Class 3A state titles from 2016-2018, they remain formidable, especially offensively.
Junior forward Alex Barger, an Indiana commit, is one of the best players in the state and has tallied eight goals and eight assists. Wright State-bound senior striker Cam Radeke is right behind with eight goals and seven assists.
Midfielders Bryan Higgs and Jacob Ryu and forward Keegan Flaherty have been in top form in recent matches.
Naperville North coach Jim Konrad said Oswego East, which is three wins shy of the single-season program record for wins, will provide a stiff test.
“Steve has always done a great job,” Konrad said. “For all of us, if you do the right thing over and over and the talent comes in, that’s when something special happens.
“It’s our Senior Night, so we’ll have the challenge to manage the senior situation, but I’m looking forward to it.”
With only 10 days left before the playoffs start, some teams are looking to ease through the final week of the season, but the Huskies and Wolves are relishing the tough competition.
“I think we’re really fortunate to have some tough games down the stretch to keep us sharp,” Konrad said. “We still have room to grow. We have not played our best game yet.
“I know they’ve got some kids who are very crafty and good going to goal, and they’re able to score. That will be a great challenge for us. Plus, it’s nice to get a preview before the state tournament.”
Szymanski and Konrad were both asked about their strategy for the match. Will they go all-out to win the game or hold back in case they meet again in the sectional final?
“I never show all my cards,” Konrad said. “We always add a bunch of stuff.
“For us it’s another opportunity to learn and obviously we try to win every game. But the big thing is it’s another great team for us to hopefully overcome and get ready for the playoffs.”