On Wednesday, Sept. 10, the Oswego varsity boys soccer team (3-3-1 overall, 2-0 in conference) took down the Oswego East Wolves (1-3 overall, 1-1 in conference) 4-1 in the annual Crosstown soccer game.
Oswego had a slow start to the season to this point after last year’s season success. The Panthers looked to get back to their winning ways on Wednesday.
“The win is a very good confidence booster,” senior forward Mason McCaw said. “ just hope to win conference.”
The Panthers started off quick, scoring two goals within the first 10 minutes of play. Sophomore Daniel Avila scored on the first shot of the game, quickly followed by a header from senior Colin Moran off of a corner kick to put the Panthers up 2-0.
Coach Gaspar Arias noticed that the team is building up “better chemistry” as they are “getting to know each other.”
The Panthers controlled the ball for the first 20 minutes of the game; however, Oswego East didn’t cave. The Wolves maintained possession of the ball for the majority of the final 20 minutes of the first half, but despite that momentum, key blocks by senior Joseph Pagone kept the OHS keeper, senior Kade Gutierrez, from facing a shot on goal in the first half.
In the second half, the Wolves continued what they had started in the end of the first half: They dominated possession and generated a corner kick opportunity which was finished off by senior Sahil Sethi off a rebound opportunity, making the score 2-1.
At this point, the Panthers had over seven shots on goal, and the game could have easily been 4 or 5-1, but the Wolves were backed by a superhuman effort from their junior goalkeeper Owen Kiilsgaard.
Despite giving up 4 goals by the end of the match, Kiilsgaard saved 10 shots overall. The most crucial of which coming with 20 minutes left in the game, when the Wolves were down by 1. McCaw had an open shot at the net, and Kiilsgaard made a tremendous save to keep the hopes of the Wolves alive.
However, McCaw was not denied, leading the charge in the momentum shift during the second half, he finished off a clutch goal with less than twenty minutes to go, making it a 3-1 game, and allowing the Panthers to breathe a little bit.
Only minutes later, McCaw finished off another goal to effectively put the game to bed.
“It’s always great to beat East,” Arias said. “They’re always great competition.”
