OSWEGO -- After taking an early lead over unbeaten and top-ranked host Barrington and then playing to a 1-1 draw before falling in penalties Saturday in the Naperville Invitational, Oswego East seemed to be in a perfect spot to continue its recent run of improved play when it hosted rival Oswego on Tuesday.

But in a clash for School District 308 bragging rights and to stay in the thick of the hunt for the Southwest Prairie Conference championship behind front-runner Plainfield North, it was the visiting Panthers who celebrated after scoring a goal in each half to capture a 2-0 victory.

Jordyn Washington earned Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match honors after setting up Aubrey Eirich for the eventual match-winner in the 32nd minute and then added an insurance goal in the 76th minute to improve Oswego to 7-4-5 and 4-0-2 in the SPC while Oswego East fell to 7-6-1 and 4-2-0.

Coach Gaspar Arias' Panthers lost 3-2 to Naperville Central on Saturday in the Naperville Invitational. Their other three losses were also by one goal to Metea Valley, Hinsdale Central and Benet, who are all ranked in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.

Oswego, who played to 1-1 draws with Minooka and Plainfield South in league play, hosts conference leader Plainfield North on April 30. The 11th-ranked Tigers handed Oswego East its only other league defeat by a 2-1 score April 15.

Tuesday marked the first time all season that coach Juan Leal's Wolves were held scoreless. The Wolves had multiple goals in eight of their first 11 matches but averaged just one per game in Naperville Invitational pool play against Geneva (2-1 loss) and the draw vs. Barrington, which won 4-2 in the shootout.

On a day where strong southwest winds definitely dictated the play by hampering effective distribution of the ball and the execution of free kicks, Oswego had more of the possession, applying pressure when it had the wind at its back and preventing Oswego East from doing the same when it took the wind advantage in the final half.

Leal hoped his Wolves got off more shots than they did. He wanted to challenge Oswego freshman keeper Kyla Baier.

"The thing was that we had to keep the ball out of the air, and we really didn't do that," Leal said. "I think in the second half we didn't shoot the way that we should have when we had the wind to our advantage. 

"They're a good team; we're a good team. I'm happy for them and good luck to them for the rest of the season.

“Today I think heart had something to do with it. With bragging rights on the line and when you go to someone else's home, you tend to play a little harder, and that's exactly what Oswego did. I give them a lot of credit. And they did a good job of containing (all-stater) Anya (Gulbrandsen). 

“We weren't able to generate our normal offense as we struggled with our passing and touch.  The wind had a huge impact in the first half as we went into it.  We didn't challenge enough in the middle with 50/50s.  Our transitions weren't as quick as we would have liked.  We are going to build off of that game and look forward to continue to improve.”

In the latter part of the opening half, Oswego began to apply more pressure on goalkeeper Maddie McGregor, which included good attempts from Natalie Braun and Dahlia Fuentes as well as a long free kick by Peyton Johnson.

The Panthers finally put everything together on their last good combination of the first half. Washington sent a cross to Eirich, who connected in the 32nd minute for the only goal the visitors needed.

Due to the wind, the Wolves didn't apply much pressure in the initial 40 minutes. One of its few chances came just before the break when Catie Sloan sent in an attempt that was hauled in by Baier.

"I think it was a mental game going into it," Wolves senior defender Morgan Dick said. "The wind obviously was a factor, because when you're going with the wind, it's definitely easier to have possession than when you're against it. In the first half, it was hard to get momentum going. And going into the second half down 1-0, it was definitely hard to get momentum.

"We're a good team, and we know it. And we know that we should have won this game, but we didn't play our best. So, it was hard out there. Going into this, our coach told us to not let it get to our heads, because it was all about the rivalry. We did kind of hype it up a little, but not too much.

"We had two really good games last week against Geneva and Barrington and even though we didn't win those, we came really close against Barrington, who is a really strong team. We definitely have really strong defenders, midfielders and forwards, and that's good for our team. And we have a lot of fun out there when we are able to make combinations between each other and able to build out. But today, it just really didn't happen."

Things figured to be completely different in the final half when the Wolves had the strong wind at their backs, but Oswego did a good job of advancing the ball downfield. As a result, the hosts didn't get a whole lot of good scoring chances.

One of the Wolves' best opportunities came in the 52nd minute when Anya Gulbrandsen was fouled just outside of the box. Sloan placed a free kick in front of the net but no one was able to get a good touch on it before Oswego cleared the ball.

About two minutes later, Gulbrandsen was fouled again, this time about 10 yards beyond the top of the box. She took the subsequent free kick, but the attempt went a bit wide of the mark.

Oswego East threatened again in the 62nd minute when Sloan sent in a liner from the side that Baier hauled in. And then in the 66th minute, Sloan tried again but the Panthers' keeper grabbed the shot to maintain the one-goal edge.

As time was winding down and the number of future possessions became a serious issue for the hosts, Oswego wrapped up its victory when Washington drove toward the net and connected on a liner from close-range in the 76th minute.

It was the fifth shutout of the season for the Panthers, who play in the Naperville Invitational consolation pool at host St. Charles North at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Oswego closes out the doubleheader at 7 p.m against Fenwick.

Tournament play ends for Oswego against York on Friday at Geneva. 

The same is true for Oswego East, which meets host Bolingbrook on Saturday.

The Wolves have five more conference matches left. Four are on the road, including at Plainfield East on April 30 and at Plainfield Central on May 2.

The team then travels to Romeoville and West Aurora in the final week of the regular-season before hosting Yorkville on May 7 in its final home match. 

Oswego received the no. 8 seed and Oswego East no. 9 in the Class 3A Plainfield North Sectional. The game matchups will be posted Friday at approximately 4 p.m. on IHSA.org.

The sectional is as rugged as any in the state. Lockport, Metea Valley and Naperville North are all ranked in the first six of the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25. Plainfield North, Naperville Central, Waubonsie Valley, Oswego East and Benet either are or have been ranked in the poll this season.

Starting lineups

Oswego
GK: Kyla Baier
D: Ainsley Barnes
D: Olivia Giles
D: Peyton Johnson
MF: Grace Braun
MF: Aubrey Eirich
MF: Natalie Braun
MF: Natasha Lopez
MF: Dahlia Fuentes
F: Gillian Young
F: Jordyn Washington

Oswego East
GK: Maddie McGregor
D: Emma Klosterman
D: Morgan Dick
D: Alex Hoger
D: Jocelyn Cruz
MF: Natalie Hamilton
MF: Lana Bomstad
MF: Catie Sloan
MF: Ashley Gumm
MF: Kiara Taghap
F: Anya Gulbrandsen

Chicagoland Soccer MVP of the Match: Jordyn Washington, so., F, Oswego,

Scoring

First half
Oswego: Aubrey Eirich (Jordyn Washington), 32'

Second half
Oswego: Washington (unassisted), 76'