Oswego, West Aurora battle to draw

Updated: April 25, 2011 6:24AM

Neither Oswego or host West Aurora added to the win column following Monday's 1-1 non-conference draw.

But for the Panthers --- now 1-7-2 --- avoiding the loss column may ignite a turnaround for a frustrating season that has had not just two players, but even the head coach wind up on crutches. Conversely, the Blackhawks were left with a "could have been better" feeling reflective of their 5-4-2 record.

"To finish a game having played so positively makes you optimistic, plus it's so good to come off the field not feeling frustrated," explained OHS senior Cathy Tram after her second-half goal led to the draw.'

"This was certainly our best complete effort," insisted coach Jamie Bartkowiak. "We've been using a new offensive formation and it's been slow getting there, but I think we've finally figured things out. The key is good ball movement with quick one-two touches.

With the wind at their back for the opening 40 minutes, the Panthers understandably had more opportunities but those chances went wide, high or were corralled by West Aurora keeper Felicia Dattolo. Plus it was the Blackhawks countering an attack that had Sammie O'Brien slot a through ball ahead for Jessica Saffell to utilize her speed to turn the breakaway into a one-on-one with OHS goalie Amy Annala. The WAHS junior booted the ball past the keeper and inside the right post with 5:26 left before halftime for a team-high seventh goal of the season.

"I knew Jessica was making a run and with her speed I just needed to put the ball into space where she could make the most of it," O'Brien said in regard to now leading the squad with four assists.

Surprisingly, the wind didn't help West Aurora in the second half much the same way the Blackhawks continually fail to capitalize on the quality and consistency of O'Brien somersault flip throw-ins. Oswego, on the other hand, stepped up its passing game and continually tested Dattolo in compiling a 26-11 advantage for overall attempts and an 11-5 edge in shots-on-goal.

Lisa Bajkowski's well-placed through ball found Tram near the right post and the OHS senior executed a twisting side-volley from eight yards out that went through Dattolo's grasp and on into the net.

"It was a great feed and I just tried to keep it low and on target," Tram added. "We did a much better job of linking passes together and that's what we've got to continue doing."

On the opposite side, West Aurora coach Laura Wagley would like to see her squad break out of a one-half good, one-half bad trend.

"Unfortunately this was a re-occurring story. We just can't seem to play a full 80 minutes. We reacted to the opportunities we had in the first half and got the goal by finishing strong. Not sure if I gave them too much to think about at halftime but in the second half our first touches were neither confident nor good," Wagley said.

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