PLAINFIELD – Plainfield North soccer coach Lukasz Majewski said that he couldn’t recall the last time his team won the Plainfield Classic.

“We have not been fortunate to win in the last four or five years, but we’ve been in the finals,” Majewski said. “It’s been a bit since we won it.”

Well, after winning two games on Saturday, Majewski won’t have any problems recalling his last tournament championship.

Plainfield North scored two goals in the second half to post a 2-1 victory over Oswego East in the Plainfield Classic final at Plainfield Central. The Tigers defeated East Aurora 3-2 in the semifinals, while Oswego East reached the title game with a 1-1 (5-3 in penalty kicks) win over Waubonsie Valley.

Plainfield North sophomore defender Adam Tinsley, the Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match, scored off a rebound following a shot by Johnny Martinez early in the second half for the winning goal.

“Adam had a nice day,” Majewski said. “He’s been playing significant minutes. He’s a ball of energy and is constantly working. It doesn’t matter if it's at practice or in a game, he goes out there and gives 100 percent. You can’t tell if he’s tired or beat up. You know what you will get exactly from Adam. 

"We started him at right back to start the season, but we’re struggling to score and to create chances, so we move him up-top. He creates havoc for the other team with his pressure and speed. He’s kind of small, but he’s physical and doesn’t back down. It was a big day for the little guy, his first goal of season, a game-winner in the classic.”

Besides a first place trophy, Majewski enjoyed another memorable moment after the match, when he was doused with water to celebrate the hard-earned title.

On a steamy early afternoon, Majewski said he welcomed the dousing by his players.

“It was a good day for us, got a water Gatorade bath, so that felt good,” Majewski said. “I was very glad it was not Gatorade. That’s sticky and nasty, so the water was not bad. They got me with it. I didn’t see that one coming.”

But Majewski saw his team's tourney title drought come to an end after bouncing back from a 1-0 halftime deficit.

“I think it was a challenging day for everybody with the early start and also the heat,” Majewski said. “We had to move games up because we had Homecoming and stuff like that, so it was kind of a fluid situation moving things to Thursday and Saturday and not being able to get officials, but it kind of all worked out.

"We played really early, the 8 a.m. first game on Saturday, and then we had a couple of games to kind of wait, but conditions were kind of brutal. Both teams had players cramping up during that second game. We were trying to do water breaks, but it was tough.

“We had a total of 14 on the roster for this weekend, because some kids traveled and some were hurt, so that made it even more challenging for us. But all the boys knew they were going to play and have significant roles in trying to compete, so I think it motivated everyone.”

Oswego East coach Steve Szymanski said his team fought until the end and showed heart.

“They want to battle for each other,” Szymanski said. “They really are buying into being a team. It's not about one guy, but they are playing for each other. 

"The guys were pressing, but we couldn’t put it (the equalaizer in). This is a special group. They’re going to be tough to replace. They battled some tough conditions. I’m proud in how they played. I’m excited for the middle of the season and the conference stretch.”

Oswego East junior Julian Nino came into the tournament without a goal but put together a breakout run. He scored five goals to help lead the Wolves (8-3-0, 1-0-0) to the title game.

“Right before the tournament, we played West Aurora. I had the opportunity to score but missed it,” Nino said. “That made me sad, but I flipped the switch and was hungry for my team to do good in the tournament. That changed my mentality and after I got the first goal, I kept going. We have a great team and can go very far, but we have to learn from our mistakes.”

The Wolves have 11 seniors on their roster, including several multiple-year starters, but Nino stole the show in the classic.

“We’ve been playing in the classic pretty much every year, but this was our best finish,” Szymanski said. “We made the semifinals once or twice. Julian had his coming-out party at the classic. He was pressing to score. We know he can score in practice. He does it all the time. He scored two goals against Neuqua Valley. You could see the excitement in his face. His next two goals came against Sandburg, including the game-tying one which was huge to send it into PKs. 

"He’s super talented and a sparkplug. We have a lot of confidence in him. He’s super shifty and a left-footed kid.”

Oswego East had four players selected to the All-Tournament team in Nino, Josh Lopez, Dylan Drendel and M.J. Hoffman.

The Tigers’ had five players named to the all-tournament team. Johnny Martinez, Sam Zito, Joel Martinez, Eli Bell and Ben Feldman all received honors for their stellar play. Feldman, a goalie, was named the MVP for the tourney.

“Ben made a great PK save in the semifinals,” Majewski said. “He’s been playing really well all season. Our defense, besides a meltdown against Glenbard West, has also been pretty solid. Joel Martinez scored two goals in the semifinals and been more most consistent scorer all year. We rely heavily on our defense and our goalkeeper.”

The Tigers have nine starters back from last fall, which demonstrated that experience pays dividends.

“I’m proud of the boys for handling the elements and also playing with a short bench. The kids played their hearts out,” Majewski said. “That’s all you want. As we’re getting closer to the end of the season and playoffs, we want to compete in those tough-pressure games. Saturday showed we could compete in them, and hopefully that’s a good sign for us moving ahead.”

Oswego East senior defender Elyas Edders said the title game was a battle of attrition.

“I was very, very tired because we had the first game against a tough Waubonsie Valley team and then another tough game with Plainfield North,” Edders said. “Also, it was almost 15 degrees hotter on the turf. That made it harder, but we learned a lot of leadership and perseverance especially with the heat. We had to use all 22 guys.

“In the title game, we had good possession throughout the game and controlled it a good amount in the second half. We’re going to have a good bounce back this week and hopefully we can win conference.”

Szymanski said he’s pleased with the progress of senior goalie Jack Urbanowski, who has two assists this season. Urbanowski had not played in the net dating back to his freshman season but worked hard in the offseason and even moved to goalie to prepare for his senior season.

“Plainfield North came out hot in the second, getting one of their goals on a PK call,” Szymanski said. “We were tired. 

"Our goalie, Jack Urbanowski, had a good tournament. I know he was disappointed in himself. It’s always difficult to let in a goal, but he got a hand on the PK. He’s doing great as a first-year starter. He played defense for us last year. He’s a good talker and communicator. Our backline did an awesome job on Saturday.”

Starting lineups
 
Oswego East
GK: Jack Urbanowski
D: Diego Godinez
D: Caleb Pankiewicz
D: Elyas Edders
MF: Austin Ward
MF: Dillan Max
MF: Dylan Drendel
MF: Vikaris Majus
F: M.J. Hoffman
F: Josh Lopez
F: Julian Nino

Plainfield North
GK: Benjamin Feldman
D: Adam Tinsley
D: Jaden Gruben
D: Eze Oji
D: Eli Bell
MF: Joel Martinez
MF: Luis Sanchez
MF: Franco Messer
MF: Johnny Martinez
MF: Samuel Zito
F: Brandon Wick

Chicagoland Soccer Man of the Match: Benjamin Feldman, sr., GK, Plainfield North

Scoring summary

First half
Oswego East: Hoffman (unassisted), 26’

Second half
Plainfield North: Oji (penalty kick), 44’
Plainfield North: Tinsley (Martinez), 47’