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Sports
Panthers get their kicks in : Sports : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisPanthers get their kicks in
| Totsch goal enough to clinch 1-0 win over West Aurora
| by Mike Slodki
| 9/6/2012
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Last Saturday on Oswego's soccer field, it was not, in fact, one-on-two.
While the remnants of Hurricane Isaac toyed with the weather conditions, the Panthers soccer dealt at times with both the visiting West Aurora Blackhawks and the elements.
The Panthers (4-1, 1-0 SPC) powered through everything in their path and were lifted by a lone Ryan Totsch goal in the first half on their way to a 1-0 duke over the invading Blackhawks.
An early-season tour around the neighboring Upstate Eight Conference and DuPage Valley Conference - something that Oswego head coach Travis Carlisle indicated would show the team how strong it truly was - has concluded with a capable 3-1 record.
"When they come out and play and they stay organized, it's good," Carlisle said. "The second half ended up being a scramble with as wet as it got. Overall, I'm very pleased with how they held themselves and how they reacted."
"We're learning how to deal with different situations-when they're up a goal, late in the game-but overall, I'm pleased."
Both offenses were able to move the ball, but failed to nail the final step of execution resulting in several stalemates. About 15 minutes into the game, Oswego's Curtis Grysiewicz took a center feed but the ensuing player scramble ended the opportunity.
On the defensive end, goalkeeper Christian Torres had breathing room as not many opportunities came his way. The seven balls that came in his wheelhouse were stuffed.
The shutdown of West Aurora's attack spoke well to both the junior Torres' effort and the pressure on the opposite end.
"I think it's both," Carlisle said. "West Aurora had to resort to some through balls in and bringing some crosses. He showed fantastic hands today. I didn't see him mishandle a single cross today. We saw some really good stuff from him today."
After some early disappointment, Oswego finally hit the promised net.
A shot from senior Nick Nelson was blasted back after a stop to Totsch, who punched it in from the center with 19:53 to play in the second half, necessitating Oswego to protect the lead for the remaining hour of play.
"Coach is always telling us how we need to follow up on the back post," Totsch said. "I just listened to Coach and just stuck my foot out hoping I got it and got a goal."
Grysiewicz and Totsch had numerous other opportunities to help keep Oswego's foot on the victory pedal.
Tochte knows there's no relaxation after a somewhat early score.
"We know we have to keep pressure on them and still put them under pressure and still attack," Totsch said.
Oswego returned to play Tuesday, hosting Plainfield East in the Southwest Prairie Conference opener and secured a 3-2 win behind goals from Mike Simmons, Totsch (assisted by Simmons) and Jeremy Wine (assisted by Grysiewicz).
Results of Tuesday's Southwest Prairie Conference opener against Plainfield East were unavailable at press time, and the Panthers were slated to visit Romeoville Wednesday in a rescheduled game from Aug. 28.
On Saturday, the Pepsi Showdown hosted by Lyons Township begins, with the unseeded Oswego crew facing No. 14 Lake Zurich at 11:45 a.m. in LaGrange. The Pepsi Showdown continues through Sept. 23, with two SPC games scheduled Sept. 17 at Minooka and Sept. 19 at Plainfield North.
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