Panthers strike quickly to claim easy win in regional opener

Oswego now looks to avenge recent loss to Plainfield Central

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By Curt Herron

Most teams hope to kick off postseason play by jumping out to a quick advantage and then coasting to an easy victory.

But going out and executing that kind of a game plan in a regional match is obviously a whole lot easier said than done.

That was just what Oswego had in mind as it began the IHSA Class 3A playoffs with a home match against Plainfield East.

And that's how things unfolded in Saturday's opening-round match in the Bolingbrook Regional, which was played in Oswego.

The Panthers scored a goal just 53 seconds into the match and added another score during the initial eight minutes of play.

That early 2-0 advantage allowed coach Travis Carlisle's team to pretty much dictate play throughout against the Bengals.

Oswego added two more scores just 36 seconds apart during the second half as it wound up capturing a 4-0 victory over East.

Fernando Chavez scored two goals and added an assist while Max Calderon and Curtis Grysiewicz also chipped in with scores.

The win snapped a three-match losing streak for the Panthers (8-10-2) and advances them to Wednesday's regional semifinals.

That's where they'll get their rematch with Plainfield Central in a 4:30 p.m. match that will take place in Bolingbrook.

Last Monday, the Wildcats defeated the Panthers 3-1 to effectively wrap up top honors in the Southwest Prairie Conference.

Stopping Central from capitalizing on its height advantage on set plays could be the key the outcome of Wednesday's match.

Click to hear coach Travis Carlisle interview

Saturday's 4-goal margin of victory was the biggest of the year for Oswego, which scored four goals only one other time.

The team's biggest previous wins had come by two goals and 17 of their first 19 matches were decided by two goals or less.

That's why the quick one-two punch was so important to the hosts, who had only scored one goal in the last three matches.

Oswego's eventual winning goal was scored during the first minute when Ryan Totsch sent a pass to Chavez, who connected.

Then with just 7:41 off of the clock, the Panthers added another goal to grab a 2-0 lead following a score from Calderon.

Those early scores allowed Oswego to basically dictate the play for the remaining 70-plus minutes of the regional match.

Click to hear Ryan Totsch interview

While Oswego didn't really threaten that often during the rest of the first half, it also didn't need to worry too much.

That's because the Bengals struggled to get anything going after a barrage of early yellow cards seemed to rattle them.

East sent only a couple of attempts toward keeper Luis Gallardo, who recorded his squad's sixth shutout of the season.

Things seemed to be well in hand for the hosts after they continued to hold their 2-0 advantage heading into the break.

With 27:17 remaining in the match, Chavez sent a pass to Grysiewicz, who found the net to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

And then just 36 seconds later, Chavez was tripped up in the box and that resulted in a penalty kick which he converted.

Chavez also scored a pair of goals during the Panthers' previous victory, which was a 3-1 win over Lemont on October 7.

After that final score, Oswego merely had to run out the clock and avoid getting any players in trouble for Wednesday.

Now the focus is avenging the defeat to the Wildcats, with the reward being a trip to this Saturday's regional final.

Panther captain Nathan Kyes expects to see another competitive match when the longtime rivals meet up on Wednesday.

Click to hear Nathan Kyes interview