The first sectional semi final at Lockport Township features Naperville North taking on the Oswego Panthers. The Huskies took down Bolingbrook 4-0 in the regional final while Oswego stunned Waubonsie Valley on Monday by scoring four consecutive 2nd half goals for a 5-3 victory.
First Half
Christian Romano with a throw in on the far side of the field for North, an Oswego defender heads it back but Cesar Recendez uses a header of his own to line the ball into the net for the opening goal less than five minutes into the game.
A few minutes later, Steven Udy taps a pass over to Norman Hernandez who flicks a shot up near the net, Jason Barba goes up and collides with Sebastian Babayan and Mason McCaw. But Barba hangs on and eventually everyone gets back on their feet.
Later in the first half, Ali Khorfan tracks down a ball and has enough room to create his own mini free kick, the ball lands in front of midfielder Zach Smith, who sticks with it and knocks the ball past Kade Gutierrez. 2-0 Huskies. It’s the 20th goal of the season for Smith.
Near the end of the first half, Patrick Koenig sends a ball ahead to Ty Konrad, who uses his elite speed to win the ball away from the Oswego defense, lure Gutierrez out of the net before sending a low shot in for the goal. Huskies take a 3-0 lead into the break.
Second Half
Oswego is not intimidated by North, the Panthers fell to the Huskies 3-2 in a hard fought game early in the season, and Oswego shows its fight by getting on the board off a set piece. Joe Pagone gets a shot that crosses over the goal line off Steven Udy’s free kick. Panthers down 3-1 with 20 minutes to play.
But you can’t fall behind a defense like Naperville North’s and expect to come all the way back. Another Udy free kick, but Jason Barba punches the ball out of the air. Matthew Samuel’s shot goes wide. Naperville North hangs on for a 3-1 win and moves on to the sectional championship game.
Check out other regional soccer games in our Boys Sports Highlights!
