At first glance, Oswego East soccer coach Steve Szymanski might have been a little too ambitious with his scheduling.

The Wolves close out the second-to-last week of the regular-season with games against Plainfield Central and Naperville North.

Central’s Wildcats came into the week ranked fifth in the Chicagoland Soccer Top 25.
 
And where do you think Naperville North is ranked.

Yup, no. 1.

The Wildcats’ game was unavoidable, because it was a Southwest Prairie Conference match. Then Szymanski added Saturday’s 10 a.m. home game against Naperville North.

Heading into Thursday’s game at Plainfield Central, the Wolves were playing two teams with a combined 30 wins and one loss. Yes, one total loss between the Wildcats (15-0-3 before the Wolves match) and Huskies (15-1-1).

Well, guess what happened?

Szymanski’s team played lights-out against Plainfield Central, posting an impressive 3-0 victory Thursday to knock the conference power from the unbeaten ranks.

“We ended up playing really well Thursday night,” Szymanski said. “It was a great team win, and we battled the entire game.”

All three of the Wolves’ goals came in the second half. Austin Ward, Josh Lopez (assist) and Dylan Drendel found the back of the net in the marquee victory. 

M.J. Hoffman had the first two assists, and Lopez assisted on the final goal of the game.

Before the game, Szymanski viewed his team as a work in progress, playing well but not good enough. He thought his team’s ceiling was much higher than their win-loss record.

That all changed with Thursday’s victory. The Wolves (11-4-4, 5-1-3) are motivated to add Naperville North to their list of upset victories.

“Beating Naperville North is something we have never done in our school's history,” Szymanski said. “We have two ties versus them in about 16 games and that is it. They’re the best team in the area year-in and year-out, and a program we strive to be like. 

“The main reason I keep them on the schedule, besides them being a great test each year, is I am friends with their coaches Jim (Konrad) and Steve (Goletz).”

Konrad expects a stiff challenge by the Wolves.

“They’ve been super dangerous all year, so I knew when they would find the consistency as a group, they would be a tough team to handle,” Konrad said. “They seemed they hit their stride with a big win over Plainfield Central. I know the Drendel kid up-top is a really good player who can create chances and scores a lot. 

“It’s always a tough game. We play them every year, and it’s always a one-goal game. That Saturday morning at 10 is a tough time slot for the boys.”

Szymanski said the Oswego East defense is starting to come together, which showed in the clean-sheet against Plainfield Central.

“Our defense is finally getting healthy and playing well,” he said. “Caleb Pankiewicz has been playing great along with (outside back) Diego Godinez, who picked up his fourth assist of the season Tuesday after being out for a couple of weeks.  Alec Gesiakowski has been playing great as of late as well. He and Dillan Max in the midfield play their butts off every game and play with a ton of heart and determination.” 

Offensively, Hoffman leads the Wolves in scoring with 14 goals and nine assists, followed by Drendel’s 10 goals and seven assists. Lopez has nine goals and five assists.  

Naperville North, which has 10 starters back from last season’s Class 3A third place team, comes into the game well-rested and ready to go following an eight-day break. Konrad said he can’t recall having such an extended gap between games this late in the season.

“We’ve had Niko Ladas out for a while,” Konrad said. “He’s nursing an injury, so it’s been an adjustment. He won’t play tomorrow. He’s going to rehab and rest. 

“We’re working extremely hard to play faster. The combo of (all-staters) Jaxon Stokes and Noah Radeke have done a nice job up-top. 

“I feel we’re in a good spot. We still have plenty to improve on. It’s nice to have a week off, get back on the training field, and it’s been a nice break for the boys. We have to fine-tune some stuff before the playoffs.”